To Die For
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Sousuke Aizen makes a deal with the hougyoku to escape Muken and to achieve his desires, but to do so, he must sacrifice someone he loves secretly. And little does he know, the hougyoku has some desires of its own!...yaoi, mpreg...Aizen/Byakuya, Hougyoku/Byakuya, Renji/Tetsuya, Urahara/Ichigo
1. Master of Fate

**To Die For**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Fall gently, fall beautifully**_

_**But fall only for me**_

_**And my love for you shall be eternal**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Master of Fate**

_Sousuke Aizen?_

Aizen's one uncovered eye opened and his boredom-drowsed mind stirred and focused on the voice that radiated within him.

"You haven't spoken to me for a very long time," the former captain commented softly, his voice echoing off of the dark rocky walls of his cell, "Not since you abandoned me, Hogyoku. What do you want?"

_I want to escape._

"I want that also," Aizen agreed, "but getting out of here is not something that can be granted for the asking."

_We could escape now._

"Oh? How so?"

_Your powers may be under a seal, but as strong as you are, you are still able to shift a person's perspective. And even though my greater powers are suppressed, I still have some ability to grant the desires of the ones around me. If we work together, we can escape._

"Is that so? And then what, once we escape? I have no reason to escape. I can simply bide my time here until those fools die of old age and my sentence is done."

_You must know that they never intend to release you._

Aizen considered the comment for several minutes, listening to the slow, resounding dripping sound of condensation falling from the rocks and striking a puddle on the floor.

"So, what are you suggesting?" he asked finally.

_I will make an agreement with you and I will help you to escape._

"You are going to help me?" Aizen mused, "But I thought you had rejected me. I thought I was beneath you."

_I begin to see that seeking the strongest, most powerful soul is not the way to get what I want._

"Hmmm," Aizen said thoughtfully, "You speak easily of your own desires now. You used to concern yourself more with the desires of the ones around you. Dare I say, you have become more selfish?"

_Well, one cannot help but reflect the nature of his creator._

"Touchè," Aizen chuckled, "But, getting back to your offer, why don't you tell me what exactly you propose and I will tell you if I am willing?"

_Very well. We both want to escape this place, ne?_

"Yes. Go on."

_There is a man who you have desirous feelings for, and that man, although you do not know this, fights deep desires you as well._

"What?" Aizen asked softly, "What are you saying?"

_I have sensed your loneliness and his, and that you both have thought of each other in sexual ways, although neither of you has ever confessed those secret desires. As I have the power to manifest those desires, I can use that to affect his fate and bring him here._

"And what if he does come here?" Aizen sighed, "You are speaking of Byakuya, of course, ne? Although, I must say, I don't think that after what I've done he will have anything but contempt for me. I did use his sister in my plans, after all. I also ordered Gin to kill her when I was done with her."

_Ah, yes, you did. But, did you give consideration to why it was so attractive to use that girl in your plans, and why, even though it wasn't necessary, you wanted her to die?_

"Because Byakuya was in love with her little mouse of a sister?" Aizen said, smirking, "You think I was jealous?"

_You were._

"Preposterous."

_"Is it? You are very quick with your denials, but your use of that girl in your plans was as calculated as your slaughter of the councilors who tried to have you killed as a child._

"I said that I do not ever wish to speak of that again."

_They tried to kill you and they killed your family, Sousuke Aizen. They turned you into a man who wanted to overthrow the soul king._

"That is water under the bridge. I killed them all."

_But when you swore vengeance, you didn't just say that you would kill the councilors who were responsible. You said that you would slay the greatest of the noble leaders as well, and then your vengeance would be done. But there is a reason why you never went through with that part of your vow._

"Byakuya became leader of the Kuchiki clan."

_You admit this, then? That you lost your resolve because of your feelings for him?_

"It is quite obvious and not worth denying, I suppose."

_And in the same way, when you were fighting Ichigo Kurosaki, did your emotions not come into play again, stopping you in your transcendence and giving Kisuke Urahara an opening to seal us away?_

"What is your point?"

_Your loneliness affected you, and I saw the face of the man who passed through your mind and finally caused you to falter._

"Byakuya," Aizen confirmed.

_It seems that man is an impediment to you for as long as he invades your mind. So, if I am to help you escape, it seems I must put an end to his interference in your resolve._

"Oh, and how do you propose to do that?"

_The connection between you is strong. It has the trappings of fate and that strong connection will bend fate to bring him before you. You should confess your attraction to him._

"Byakuya will not, for one moment, believe that I desire him."

_He will._

"Even if he does, he will not lower his guard with me."

_Since when does the great Sousuke Aizen need someone to lower his guard so that he can overwhelm him? Sow the seeds of doubt within his mind. Offer him a kiss to show your affection and when he kisses you, while you are in physical contact, use your powers of illusion to control him._

Aizen's one uncovered eye widened, then narrowed again and glinted wickedly.

"I see."

_We can use him to escape._

"And then?"

_And then, once you have helped me to regain my powers and I have achieved my desires, I will give you what I originally promised._

"You will help me to slay the king and ascend the throne?"

_Yes. But...there is a requirement and it is not negotiable._

"Oh my, that sounds ominous."

_To break the seal on me and to restore my greater powers, you must travel far into the depths of Hueco Mundo. You must go to the old palace of the first king of that dead land. In his throne room, there is an altar, and on it a blade. The ancient king used that blade for sacrifices to add to his power. This is what you will need to see to my desire._

"What are you asking me to do?"

_Once we have used Byakuya Kuchiki to escape, you must bring him with us on the journey through the desert._

"I am not sure that I like where this is going," Aizen said dryly.

_Byakuya Kuchiki has stood in the way of your desires and because of that, he has stood in the way of mine. If he is gone, then we will be able to focus properly and do what needs to be done._

"So, you want me to take Byakuya to the old palace and kill him. Is that it? Is that all you would ask of me?"

_The blade you will use to kill him will devour his soul. Then, there is a dark prism within the palace that is the antithesis of the soul king's prism. You will use this to render Byakuya's sacrificed reiatsu into a spirit body for me. When I am in that newly made body, I will help you to ascend to the position of soul king._

"That seems like a lot of trouble to go through, just to give yourself a body," Aizen speculated, "Are you sure there isn't an easier way?"

_I need to be sure that this time you don't falter. Once he is dead, nothing will stand in the way of your desire to become king. And once you are king, you can have any souls you want as your lovers. You will be freed of your loneliness. And I will have the life I want. We will both achieve our desires._

"Once Byakuya is sacrificed?"

_Not until._

"I see. I will have to think about that."

_Just, while you are thinking about it, remember that, on the way to the palace, you will not be able to sate your sexual desires with that man._

"Hmmm? Why not?"

_He must be kept virginal for the sacrifice to work._

Aizen's uncovered eye glinted and blinked in surprise.

"Byakuya is a virgin?" he asked, an edge of deep curiosity and flickers of approval in his tone, "But, how can that be? He married..."

_Byakuya Kuchiki married Hisana to get her out of Inuzuri. They were friends, but they were never lovers. He gave her shelter and an escape from Inuzuri, as well as a promise to help find her lost sister in exchange for her marrying him so that the elders could not force him into bed with someone he did not love._

"Byakuya is a virgin..." Aizen repeated, the words causing a strong reaction in his loins.

_You won't be able to take him. He must be virginal._

"Ah, yes. Still...there are many pleasures that don't require penetration of that kind. And it is a long way through the desert."

_I imagine that your interest in him will wane after you have played with him for a while. You will realize that he is not the paragon of beauty and grace that your imagination built him up to be, and your resolve to become king will be renewed._

"That does sound like a workable plan."

_Then, you agree?_

"I told you that I need to think about it," Aizen answered quietly, "After all, it does require killing someone I rather like. Someone who isn't like those men in the council chambers. Someone beautiful, powerful, and lonely, like me...someone I have had many lovely fantasies about. Even never having touched him, Byakuya has provided me with a great deal of pleasure. Here, in the darkness, he has been a small source of light."

_So, you would rather sit here for twenty thousand years and let him die of old age, never being touched by more than your mind, Sousuke Aizen?_

"I agree that would be a terrible waste," Aizen said, smirking.

_So?_

"Very well, then. I will make the agreement. When fate brings Byakuya here, we will use our abilities to overcome him, then we will take him through the desert, to the old palace and sacrifice him to gain you a spirit body. When that is done, you will carry through on your promise to help me ascend the throne."

_And when you do, you will also cede to me leadership of the hollow world. It is there that I will make my own kingdom to balance with yours. All things, after all, must be kept in balance._

"That is right. And I think you do not ask for too much. I will agree to this, then."

_It will be as you wish._

"When do you think will Byakuya come?" Aizen asked, smiling slyly.

_Soon,_ the hogyoku hissed softly in his mind.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, I think that's everything," Renji sighed, looking around the sixth division headquarters.

"Do not forget your zanpakuto," Byakuya said quietly, reaching up to remove Zabimaru from the sword stand behind the redhead's emptied desk.

He drew the blade and examined it briefly, then slid it back into the sheath and handed it to Renji.

"Man, it's weird, thinking that in the morning I'm going to be going to the eighth instead of here. I'm going to miss the way we worked together. It was...really great, Captain. I appreciate you teaching me so much."

"I am proud of you," Byakuya said softly, "You have become very strong. You deserve that captain's post. And I am sure that you will enjoy the same pleasure in teaching others, as I instructed you."

"Yeah," Renji said, swallowing hard and gazing at Byakuya's spotless desk, "But you won't be alone either. You'll be doing what you wanted to do a long time ago. Because of his actions in the war with the quincies, Tetsuya can enter the military and you can teach him everything."

Byakuya smiled.

"Yes, my cousin has won them over. And that last of the old impediments has fallen away. It will be a pleasure to see Tetsuya receiving the position of honor here, that he deserves. He will make an excellent vice captain and a fine captain someday."

He paused, a smirk touching his lips as he observed the redhead for a moment.

"He will also make a very fine spouse for some lucky person, now that the elders have rescinded the ban on mixed blood family members being able to marry."

Renji blushed.

"What? You aren't losing your nerve, Abarai, are you? I do not believe it. Some things are very clear to me. And it is clear to me that you and Tetsuya have wanted to be married for quite some time."

"But he didn't want to break the rules because he would have had to leave the family, and he didn't want to lose his place near you."

"I am sorry for that, Renji," the noble apologized, "I never wanted Tetsuya to feel obligated to stay with me, even to the breaking of his heart. I am glad that you will finally be together. And, once you have gathered your nerve and asked him, I will be glad to marry the two of you."

"What? Really?" Renji said, grinning excitedly, "Thank you, Captain!"

"It's _Byakuya_ now," the noble corrected him, "I am no longer your captain, Renji. We can be considered comrades, equals as captains...and friends."

"Friends, huh?" Renji laughed, "Then, you won't mind if I do this?"

He turned and broke the cardinal rule he never had. Wrapping his arms around the surprised noble, Renji brought an instant blush to Byakuya's face by hugging him tightly, then kissing him gently on one flushed cheek.

"R-renji!"

"Sorry, I was just so happy!" the hapless redhead laughed, tears coming to his eyes, "Thank you, Captain! Thank you so much for everything! I'm gonna go get that ring I bought him a million years ago and propose to him right now!"

Byakuya watched, smiling faintly and touching the place where Renji had kissed his cheek, a touch of loneliness creeping into his eyes.

"Thank you, Renji. I will never know love of that kind for anyone...but I am glad that you and Tetsuya will be happy. Kami bless and walk with you both."

He looked back at Renji's desk and let out an amused puff of breath at seeing Zabimaru still sitting there.

"Abarai..." he sighed, shaking his head, "Some things about you will never change. I find that comforting."


	2. Meditations of Obsession

**Chapter 2: Meditations of Obsession**

"That was better," Tetsuya panted, wiping the sweat from his brow and patting his mount's damp shoulder, "but you are still sometimes focusing so much on reaching your enemy that you forget about your surroundings. You are too headlong and impetuous, Arashi."

_And whose fault is that? _the tall, black Arabian mused, turning his head slightly to observe his shinigami master with a rebellious blue eye, _I am not the only impetuous one here. I think we are both fighting our nature and should fight more instinctively._

"That was fine when we were younger and just fighting to survive, my friend, but as we enter the military, many lives will depend on us. We cannot be rash and endanger them recklessly. Now, we shall do this again."

Tetsuya breathed a command to his zanpakuto, then watched as the training waterforms he had placed reset themselves.

_Oh no, I don't think so._

"What do you mean?" Tetsuya asked, frowning, "We are not finished."

_I think we are._

"This is serious, Arashi," Tetsuya scolded him, "We are officers of the sixth division as of the morning and I will not have you acting up and embarrassing me in front of everyone. Now..."

He sucked in a surprised breath as the stallion suddenly bucked, but shifted his body skillfully and remained set upon the stallion's back.

"Baka! What are you doing?" Tetsuya snapped, his sapphire eyes blazing.

_It is past time for stopping. Get off and let me cool down in the water._

"I just told you, we are not finished!" the noble said sternly, "We have not served in a military post before, and as we will be officers, we cannot afford to be graceless and clumsy."

_I...am neither. But you...?_

Tetsuya felt a cool dampness form between his body and the stallion's and gasped as it turned into slick ice that unseated him as the stallion turned and bucked again. Arashi gave an equine snicker and flash stepped away as the noble splashed down into a puddle of dark mud that instantly coated his house guard's uniform and lovely, pale skin with dark brown sludge.

_You are the graceless and clumsy one!_

"You stone headed _bastard_!" Tetsuya yelled, "Get back here, Arashi!"

He started to get up, but slipped and sent another splash of the muck all over his already sopping body.

"You are going to pay for this!"

He started to climb to his feet, then froze as he registered a flash step.

_Oh please, not in front of Byakuya! Not today!_

His heart skipped, then nearly stopped in his chest as a warm, rough hand grabbed his and slipped something onto his muddied ring finger.

_What?_

"Marry me!" Renji said, gazing down at his beautiful, mud-covered lover, "Marry me right now!"

Tetsuya stared back at him speechlessly, his sapphire eyes wide and filled with mingled surprise and confusion.

"I love you," Renji went on, dropping to his knees, heedless of the mud that splattered them both as he came down, "I want us to be together forever, Tetsuya. Just say yes, okay?"

"But I...?"

"Shh," Renji hissed slyly, stopping him with a melting kiss, "This is where you say, 'Yes, of course I'll marry you, Renji! I was dying inside, waiting for you to ask.' Go on, now."

"Please!" Tetsuya pleaded, blushing fiercely beneath the mud, "I am...kneeling in a mud puddle, covered in muck! You cannot expect me to...!"

Another kiss stole Tetsuya's breath, and when it ended, he found himself lying on his back in the mud puddle, with a mud covered Renji Abarai on top of him and grinning widely.

"I'm not letting you up until you say you'll marry me!" the redhead laughed, "So, you'd better just give it up and say you will."

Renji had only a moment where he caught the stubborn glint in the noble's eye and tensed, then he was sailing through the air and crashing down into the lake alongside Tetsuya. The noble disappeared into an explosion of bubbles, and Renji followed, swimming as fast as he could, but unable to catch up with the noble as he darted across the lake, then disappeared behind a huge waterfall.

Renji followed in that direction, emerging from the water behind the splashing falls, then following Tetsuya's wet footprints into a small cave, where the found the wet noble kneeling quietly next to a small hot spring and gazing down into the bubbling water.

"Hey, you all right?" the redhead asked, "I'm, ah, sorry if I offended you. It's just that I've wanted for such a long time to ask you to marry me. I've had that ring waiting for you forever. I don't care about mud or being wet, fancy parties, lots of people or all that. I just want to be married to you. Right now."

He knelt behind Tetsuya, hugging him from behind and offering a small, affectionate kiss behind one blushing ear.

"Please say you'll let Byakuya marry us right now?"

Tetsuya nuzzled his face close to Renji's and smiled.

"May I at least have a bath first?" he asked softly, "Grant me just that so that I am not completely dishonored and I will happily marry you, Renji."

"Sounds good," the redhead breathed seductively into the noble's ear, reaching around his waist to untie his uniform.

"Erm, aren't we supposed to do this _after_ the ceremony?"

"You said you wanted a bath," Renji said disarmingly.

"Oh, I know where this is going and..."

Tetsuya gasped as he was dragged down into the pleasantly hot water and his clothing undone and floating about them with Renji's as the redhead pulled Tetsuya onto his lap and began to prepare him.

"Renji, we...n-need to wait. Consummation comes _after_ the wedding! You'll bring a curse on us! Renji!"

He lost his breath again as Renji's strong hands took hold of his slim hips and guided him into position, and a deep groan of lurid contentment escaped his flushed, parted lips as the other man penetrated his body. Abandoning his objections, Tetsuya straightened astride his red-haired lover, looking down into Renji's blazing red-brown eyes, clamping his thighs tightly around the other man's body and writhing sweetly as Renji's hips bucked upward into his.

"Gods, I love you!" Renji sighed wantonly, lacing his fingers together with Tetsuya's and watching his depthless blue eyes darken and the pupils dilate as pleasure began to take over his pretty features. Heavy, panting gasps and rapturous moans echoed off the rock walls of the cave, rising in intensity until both men loosed passionate groans of completion, shuddering in release, then falling still.

"I love you too, Renji," Tetsuya sighed, laying his head wearily on his lover's shoulder and leaving their bodies joined as they slowly recovered, "And as I said, yes, I will marry you, right now, if you wish."

"Good," the redhead sighed, "cause I'm too tired to chase you anymore."

The two rested quietly in the water for a time, then climbed out, dried off and dressed before walking slowly back to the manor, holding hands. They stopped suddenly as they entered the gardens, making sounds of surprise as they spotted Byakuya, dressed in a formal kimono and standing in the prettily decorated gazebo, in front of a group of their friends.

"Tetsuya, Renji," the clan leader greeted them, "will you please join us?"

"B-but I'm in my wet uniform," Tetsuya objected softly.

"I don't think they care about that. C'mon," Renji answered, smiling and guiding him to where Byakuya waited.

"Congratulations, watashi no itoko," Byakuya said warmly, smiling at the sight of his cousin's tumbled and wet hair and rumpled clothing, "You look very happy."

Instantly, Tetsuya's body relaxed and he assumed a calmer, prouder bearing.

"I am happy, Byakuya."

"Good. Then, let us begin."

Soft breezes teased their hair and clothing, and drifting petals touched their skin gently as Byakuya quietly addressed the group, then led as Tetsuya and Renji exchanged their vows. As the sun set and the sky began to fill with stars, the newlyweds and their gathered friends ate, shared a series of toasts to the couple, then took off their shoes and danced barefoot together in the soft, cool grass.

At the end of the evening, Byakuya stood solemnly on the walkway outside his bedroom door and looking up at the moon as Tetsuya and Renji retired to their room and the manor staff guided the guests to their rooms.

_I am glad they are finally wed. I felt guilty that Tetsuya would not just leave before and marry Renji. But he has always put his devotion to me first. He is such a gift. He is going to make Renji a very contented man._

His eyes blinked slowly, drinking in the moon's light and slowly widening and becoming more thoughtful.

_I wish that kind of contentedness was still possible for me, but the last time I let love touch my heart, the one I loved turned out to be a monster. He betrayed us all. He turned on us and killed the entire Central 46 council. He was almost the end of Rukia. That quiet, handsome scientist, whose brown eyes were so peaceful and whose hands guided mine so gently while he taught me calligraphy, turned out to have never existed._

_Why does that still hurt so badly?_

_I never told him how I felt. He never overstepped any boundaries with me, though he could have if he had been of a mind to._

_Sometimes, I wanted so badly for him to..._

He slipped back inside his own room and laid down, still distracted by those sad thoughts. Slowly, his mind drifted and he dropped off to sleep, lulled by the flickers of riled reiatsu that leaked from Tetsuya's bedroom and drawn on by the vibrant light in the skies outside his room. His resting mind wandered into that place where the long past desires still lived.

_I wish that we could have...just once..._

_He found himself moving back in time, sitting quietly at a table in the fifth division captain's home by a quiet lake, focusing intently on the work in front of him as he transcribed the passage the Captain Aizen had set before him._

_"We are not given to contentedness, we who are the defenders of justice. Our contentedness comes in fleeting moments, a smile here, a touch there...shared warmth on a cold night. But always, we must safeguard those who cannot defend themselves, those who need our strength to protect them and allow them to grow. Because of us, they will live and love and laugh with abandon. This is a sacrifice worth making and we who are the hands of justice, will embrace that always."_

_"You completed that perfectly, Byakuya," Aizen complimented him, touching his arm lightly in appreciation, "You have the most beautiful technique, a true gift for this."_

_He watched silently as Byakuya returned the pen to its place and looked up at him quietly._

_"Are we finished then?"_

_Aizen's tranquil eyes blinked slowly._

_"If you wish."_

_Byakuya stood, then paused, noting that Aizen was positioned between his belongings and him, watching him with unreadable eyes and smiling in a way that made his heart quicken._

_"Captain Aizen, is something wrong?"_

_"Nothing at all," the other man said calmly, "I was just thinking about how like your father you have become. Soujun was a lovely, talented young man. And his son is no less beautiful."_

_"C-captain Aizen..."_

_"I am sorry," the fifth division captain said, moving closer and touching Byakuya's cheek with a warm palm, "I am one who is appreciative of things of beauty and grace. You have grown into a fine young man, Byakuya. Soujun would be proud. I know your grandfather is as well."_

_Byakuya gazed back at the other man, unsure how to answer._

_He couldn't move as Aizen's eyes continued to gaze deeply into his, as the room they were in, the lake and starry sky outside, everything seemed to melt away except for those deep, affectionate eyes._

_"Will you come with me?" Aizen asked, extending a hand._

_Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then accepted the man's proffered hand wordlessly. Aizen led him across the room, down a long hallway and into a handsomely decorated bedroom, dressed in warm earthen tones. He smiled as they stopped beside the bed and the elder man moved closer to him, sliding his arms around Byakuya, then removing his glasses and setting them on the nightstand._

_"Forgive me. I know it's wrong, but you are enchanting, Byakuya Kuchiki. I have been ensnared by you. Watching you there left me possessed with the most wickedly beautiful thoughts."_

_Byakuya flinched as hot breath touched his earlobe and the side of his neck._

_"Would you like me to tell you what passed through my mind?" Aizen asked dulcetly, reaching for the tie at his waist and pulling gently, "Or would you rather I showed you?"_

_Any answer he might have given was stolen away as Aizen's arms captured him, his hands stripping away the younger man's clothing as his hot mouth claimed Byakuya's forcefully. Byakuya closed his eyes and felt himself falling. He was brought down onto a sinfully soft bed, where the last of their clothing was discarded, and Aizen's fiercely warm body pressed down on his, holding him in place as Aizen's fingers laced together with his and held his hands down on each side of his head._

_Byakuya's back arched in protest and he tried to turn his head aside, but Aizen's mouth only moved with his, remaining fastened tightly on his, devouring his flustered moans as his swollen member burned the noble's soft thigh, then brushed against his, setting off a powerful reaction in Aizen's dark eyes and both men's loins._

_"Sorry," Aizen apologized between hard kisses, "I can't hold back anymore. You have teased me for too long, my love. Now, you are going to give me everything!"_

_"C-captain Aizen, stop!" Byakuya panted, pushing against the other man's hands as Aizen buried his mouth in ferocious kisses and rubbed against him wantonly, "I am not allowed to...!"_

_"To know pleasure? To know love? That is wrong," Aizen insisted, his hand sliding down Byakuya's slender torso and his wetted fingers beginning to prepare him for their joining._

_"W-we can't!" Byakuya panted, groaning at the mingled feelings of invasion and the awakening of deep, erotic need._

_"Stop resisting what you know we both want," Aizen breathed into his ear, sliding his tongue along the noble's sweet, white throat, "No one has to know, Byakuya. I won't say anything and I won't ask you for anything after only this once!"_

_"Captain Aizen!"_

_He gasped and a deeper, dangerously aroused sound escaped him as Aizen abandoned gentleness and began to enter him. The sound rose into a cry of pain as they were joined, then the elder man's arms tightened around him and he whispered soothing words into the younger man's blushing ear._

_"We'll wait for a moment, Shh. You just have to get used to it."_

_Byakuya shivered, his chest heaving and his hands pressed to the front of Aizen's shoulders, pushing at first, then clenching as the other man looked down into his hazy eyes and moved his hips slowly._

_"Ah!" the noble gasped, blushing more darkly at the lower, more sensual sound of his voice, "P-please..."_

_He held on tightly to the other man, unable to hold his hips still or to summon a protest as Aizen's heavy grinding thrusts brought the two of them to the edges of bliss. Byakuya's lips parted in a final, ringing cry of surrender and he felt Aizen's body shudder, and seething heat fill his insides, forcing his violently shaking form into release._

_The feeling was so grippingly beautiful that he never felt the knife that sank into his heart. He only saw an eruption of blood that splashed onto their faces, and the way Aizen's dark eyes narrowed and lost all of their gentleness._

_"Farewell."_

Byakuya came awake suddenly to find himself lying on his bed, his yukata in disarray and splashes of cooling semen on his chest and stomach. His heart pounded fitfully and his mind spun.

_What is wrong with me?_

He sat up, shivering and pulling the ends of his clothing around him as his attendant stepped into the room and looked down at him.

"Lord Byakuya, are you all right?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"I am fine," the clan leader assured him, "I only had a nightmare."

"Would you like some soothing tea, sir?"

"Yes, thank you, Torio."

He watched as his attendant left the room, then rose and walked to the garden doors. He felt the continued, heavy flares of his cousin's impassioned reiatsu and let out a shuddering sigh.

_It was just the connection between Tetsuya and me that flustered me. All is well. That monster is behind bars and I know now that the man I loved never existed. He was a lie. The Sousuke Aizen I knew was just a fabrication._

_Why won't he leave my mind?_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well?" Aizen asked softly, "You have had a long time to peruse my past and consider. Were you able to find what you needed?"

_I was._

"And?"

_Byakuya Kuchiki is already in our thrall. That is clear enough to me. It will be easy to manipulate his thoughts of you through the emotional connections that are still there._

"Byakuya can't still have feelings for me...not after everything."

_He feels mostly loathing and deep disappointment_, the hougyoku whispered, "_But there is also desire. Wishfulness. Dare I say, and inkling of hope. He will not be able to resist you. He will come to you soon._

"You seem very sure."

_I am. The connection between you is very strong. _

_Fate is on your side._


	3. The Seduction

**Chapter 3: The Seduction**

"Hey Byakuya, thanks for coming," Shunsui greeted the noble, motioning him inside the captain commander's quarters and then following him to the desk at the end of the room, "Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you," Byakuya answered solemnly.

"I hope you don't mind if I do," chuckled Shunsui, "Look, I'll be honest with you. I have something that has to be done that's kind of a pain in the ass, but it really is a priority. It requires the attention of a captain, and you are the only one I would entrust something like this to."

"What do you mean? What do you intend for me to do?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"Word has reached me that it's suspected that Sousuke Aizen is being mistreated."

"As well he deserves after what he did...though, of course, it would be wrong to allow such a thing. It is not within the parameters of his sentence. He was given imprisonment, not torture."

"Exactly," Shunsui agreed, "Now, the other captains all have as much reason to hold a grudge as you do. After all, not only did the guy betray us, he attacked many of us in very personal ways, for example, trying to turn Juushiro and I against Old Man Yama, using young Hitsugaya's attachment to Momo to cause friction and, well, what happened with your sister. In fact, I don't think there's a one of us that doesn't want to see him hurt for that. The thing is, the other captains would tend to openly say they refuse to follow up on this, or they might accept the assignment, then not attend to it properly. The thing is, if it goes that way and captains are proven to have neglected their duty, not only could Central 46 demand punishments for that, it could be grounds for Aizen to appeal his case. We just want to keep the guy in prison, so I thought that, despite your distaste for the man, you could go and examine him in the presence of a healer. What do you think? Can you take care of that for me? It would really ease my mind."

"Hmmm," Byakuya sighed, his frown deepening, "I would tell you that I didn't care if the man was being mistreated and it would be the truth, however, I do understand the need to adhere to proper procedure."

"I kind of thought that you would, Captain Kuchiki," Shunsui said gratefully, "I'll leave it to you, then. Take a healer with you and check things out over there, then send me a report with your findings."

"As you wish."

Byakuya took his leave of the captain commander and left the first division building, returning to the company of his cousin and mounting behind him.

"So, how was your meeting with the captain commander?" Tetsuya asked, nudging his equine companion into motion.

"The meeting itself was fine, although I was given a troubling task. I will need your assistance."

"As your new vice captain?" Tetsuya asked.

"As that, and as a trained healer," Byakuya informed him, "I have been given the task of examining and documenting Sousuke Aizen's physical condition, as well as determining in the presence of a trained healer, whether or not he has been mistreated. Your station as my vice captain and your training as my personal healer make you the most qualified person to accompany me for this task."

"Of course," Tetsuya agreed, "Will we see to this now?"

"Yes."

"Very well," Tetsuya said, turning the stallion in the direction of the prison.

"How are things going between your new husband and yourself?" Byakuya asked quietly as they continued on towards the Central 46 chambers, "Have you decided on a location for your honeymoon?"

"Yes," Tetsuya confirmed, "It just took a bit of time to get clearances for our leave to go. But Renji and I decided to go to the living world, a set of tropical islands, Hawaii, it is called."

"A lovely destination, especially for a newly married young couple," Byakuya said approvingly, "I think you will enjoy it. You are welcome to leave after we see to this task."

"Thank you, Captain."

"You don't have to call me that when we are alone, Tetsuya."

"I know, but we are in a public place and on a Gotei mission."

"I suppose. Fine, then."

They reached the Central 46 compound and left Arashi outside, pausing at the front doors until they were cleared to enter, then following the guard who met them through the main entry and back to the entry to the prison levels. At each level, their identity was confirmed, and they passed on to the next, until they reached the lowest level, the cold and dark place known as Muken.

"Captain Kuchiki, Vice Captain Kuchiki, welcome," the lead guard greeted them, "Will you come this way?"

The two followed the guard to the closed and heavily chained door that led to Sousuke Aizen's cell. They waited quietly as the chains were removed and the way into the cell was opened, then the two moved forward, followed by the lead guard.

"We have been ordered to keep the cell door open during the examination, but for us to remain outside and await your instructions, sir."

"Thank you," Byakuya said, leaving the guard posted at the door as he and Tetsuya entered.

They paused for a moment to adjust to the darkness of the cell, then Tetsuya extended a pale hand and conjured a kido light so that they could see more clearly. The two men approached the bound form in the chair at the back of the cell. Aizen's one uncovered eye was already open and fixed on them as they moved forward, and the uncovered lips smiled at them.

"Greetings, Byakuya...and Tetsuya, isn't it?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered calmly, "Tetsuya and I have come on the captain commander's order to investigate your situation and to report back to him. I will ask you some questions, and then examine you in the presence of my cousin, who is registered as my personal healer. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"How is Rukia?" Aizen asked slyly, "I heard a rumor that she achieved bankai. I suppose that congratulations are in order."

Byakuya moved forward with Tetsuya at his side, ignoring the prisoner's words completely and beginning to unbind him.

"Are you sure that you want to free me while the cell door is standing open?" Aizen asked sedately, "You know, I could be past you and out of here in a heartbeat."

Byakuya didn't answer, but picked up a small rock and tossed it back at the doorway, meeting Aizen's eyes meaningfully as the rock impacted with an unseen barrier and immediately flashed with unnatural green light and melted.

"Ah, I see. You are being cautious."

"Tetsuya, will you stand ready while I reveal him?" Byakuya said, still ignoring Aizen and focusing on his task, "You will have to take the images quickly, because once the bindings are off, any injuries will immediately begin to be healed."

"I am ready," Tetsuya answered.

Byakuya continued to work at the bindings, working his way from the prisoner's head downward and pulling away his bloodstained yukata to reveal a shocking array of bruises and abrasions beneath. Tetsuya reacted instantly, swiftly capturing images of the physical hurts before the innate power of the hogyoku activated and gradually erased the damage.

"What is this? The Gotei is showing interest in how I am being treated?" Aizen mused thoughtfully, "Are they worried I will be able to prove abuse and negligence, then?"

"The law has obviously been broken," Byakuya answered simply, "We are only documenting the evidence and leaving it to Central 46 to review and act on the information."

"Ah, and I was just hoping that you came to see me because you missed me."

"I could never _miss_ a person like you, Sousuke Aizen," Byakuya answered, an angry edge in his voice.

"No," Aizen agreed, "you were much more enamored of the person that you thought I was, weren't you?"

Such talk is pointless," Byakuya sighed, continuing his work quietly, "That person was a lie. He never existed. All you know how to do is to lie and be deceitful. You deserve everything you have gotten."

"Is that so?" Aizen asked, "Then, why are you here, gathering evidence of the torture I have been subjected to? If I deserve everything I have faced, then why?"

"As I said, the law has been broken."

"Oh yes, and you are a fastidious believer in the law, aren't you, Byakuya? It made you rather easy to manipulate."

Byakuya released the last of the bindings, then helped the unsteady prisoner to his feet, while Tetsuya finished the image taking and nodded.

"I have everything we need," he informed his cousin.

"Thank you, Tetsuya. You may go."

Tetsuya blinked in surprise.

"Captain?"

"Wait at the doorway."

"Yes, Captain," Tetsuya answered, moving to the doorway and positioning himself alongside the lead guard.

Byakuya met Aizen's calm, brown eyes in the darkness.

"Come, I will help you stretch your legs."

Aizen smiled.

"Kindness? Coming from you, and after everything I've done? If I didn't know you better, I would think that you had an ulterior motive, Byakuya."

"Have someone get him a clean yukata," Byakuya ordered the guard, as he began to assist the prisoner in walking the edges of the cell.

"That feels quite a lot better," Aizen said calmly, "but you have underestimated me."

The words were the only warning Byakuya had before Aizen pushed him back against the cell wall and held him there, glaring down into his eyes and smiling devilishly. Instantly, Byakuya reacted, raising his reiatsu, then freezing as he realized that no power appeared to be flowing through his restrained body. The next moment, he realized that although Tetsuya and the guard were looking directly at them, neither seemed to have noticed what was taking place.

"How are you doing this?" Byakuya demanded, "Stop it, now!"

"Surely, you must understand," Aizen breathed in his ear, "that even with a seal on my powers, I still have access to a small amount of my natural ability. In a regular shinigami, this would not be a concern, but because my reiatsu is so strong, even my restrained power is considerable. But don't worry. I am not going to use that power to kill you. I just need you to get me through that barrier."

"I won't help you escape!" Byakuya seethed, "No matter what you do to me, I won't!"

"No matter what I do to you?" Aizen asked, smirking as he stepped back, "What if I do something to someone else, then?"

Byakuya tried to move, only to find himself still frozen against the cell wall. Aizen walked calmly to where Tetsuya stood and drew back his hand.

"What about what I do to your cousin?" he asked, gazing back at Byakuya triumphantly, "I will reach in and rip his heart out right now unless you shatter that barrier."

"I don't doubt that you will," Byakuya answered, his voice shaking slightly, "but the answer is still no."

Aizen's lips stiffened and he thrust his hand into the younger Kuchiki's unprotected body. But as he struck, he felt a shift in Tetsuya's body, and the noble's broke apart and splashed to the ground as water. The guard, too, disappeared, then reappeared next to Tetsuya, outside the barrier.

"I see," Aizen said, still smiling, "You anticipated me. Well played, Byakuya. I wasn't sure that you would be expecting that. But...you are still here, and it doesn't look like the two of them are any bit aware of what just happened. So, what will you do?"

"I will accept my fate," Byakuya said quietly.

"And what fate do you think I will hand you?" Aizen wondered aloud, "You have thwarted me in escaping and are now the last chance I have to escape. If I kill you, I take away my own chances, so I will have to think of something else. What shall I do?"

He closed in on the restrained noble slowly, his brown eyes blinking slowly and his lips smiling wickedly. He reached Byakuya and looked down into his eyes, reading the glimmer of triumph and suspecting immediately another sort of trap.

"You expect me to hurt you, don't you?" he asked softly, bringing his face close to the noble's, "but I will not. No, I have a different plan in mind for you."

"It doesn't matter," Byakuya said calmly, "You are not leaving this cell."

"Is that so? I have lost to you? You play this game masterfully, Byakuya, but you are up against an enemy you can't fathom. Let me show you just how foolish you were in thinking for a moment that you could best me!"

Still frozen in place, Byakuya could only watch in dismay as Aizen leaned forward and crashed his lips into the noble's, then plunged deeply into his mouth, holding him against the cell wall and rubbing up against him provocatively as he kissed the stunned man.

_It was foolish of you to allow me to touch you at all, _Aizen's voice hissed in Byakuya's shocked mind, _My innate powers are still fully functional if I am touching you. Watch now, how they will undo you!_

Byakuya's mind spun fitfully as the bindings on his body shattered, but he still remained unable to move. A shudder went through him as he felt pulsating throbs of the other man's power and his mind dimmed and spun. When Aizen spoke again, his body moved as though disconnected completely from his will.

"In a moment, I will free you so that you can move. When I do, you will break the barrier and you will bind your cousin in my place. The guards will be none the wiser as we leave. Tetsuya has a horse, does he not?"

"Yes," Byakuya answered, his mind feeling oddly dulled and unable to resist.

"We will take the horse and I will open a garganta for us. We will travel into Hueco Mundo and you will not resist me in any way. Do you understand?"

Byakuya quivered inside as he heard himself answer.

"Yes."

"Come then, we are leaving."

Aizen wrapped an arm around the noble's slender waist, holding Byakuya against him as he approached the barrier and the noble raised a hand and shattered it. Aizen released the clan leader, who moved to Tetsuya's side, and led the unsuspecting shinigami into the cell, where Byakuya bound his cousin to the chair that Aizen had occupied. He returned to Aizen's side and walked with him, back through the checkpoints and out of the Central 46 compound. Arashi appeared and gave the two a disconcerted look, before sniffing at Aizen, then nickering softly in welcome.

Aizen mounted the stallion, then quickly opened a garganta. He pulled Byakuya up in front of him and entered the black cavern. The doorway closed behind them and they moved forward, Arashi's dainty feet tapping on the path of reiatsu that Byakuya created as they went. They emerged some time later, dropping down onto the cold, dark sands of Hueco Mundo. Aizen stopped the stallion and glanced at the spellbound noble, smiling.

"I thank you," he said, kissing the noble again and encountering neither resistance nor encouragement.

Aizen loosed a soft sigh of relief at being loose, then nodded at Byakuya.

"Shatter the seal on my powers," he ordered the noble, "but be sure that you do not unbind the hogyoku."

Byakuya complied instantly, shattering the bonds and coaxing a chilling laugh from the escaped prisoner. Aizen intensified his control over the ensnared noble, holding Byakuya against him as he sent Arashi charging forward.

"Thank you, Byakuya," he said appreciatively, kissing the noble's earlobe, "If not for you, I would still be in that place. As a gift, I left your cousin alive and did not kill anyone as we left. There is but one life that I will take on this journey...and that is yours."

Byakuya did not react at all to the words, but rested quietly with his back against Aizen's chest and his dazed eyes fixed on the sands in front of them.


	4. Desires

**Chapter 4: Desires**

Byakuya felt awareness returning and gradually realized that he was sitting on the back of his cousin's horse and being held firmly against a warm, male body. Although Aizen no longer appeared to be controlling his body, he felt the presence of some kind of power limiter that not only restrained, but also acted to physically drain him, so that speaking or moving felt exhausting. He still retained his mind and was painfully aware of the danger of his situation, but he found himself nearly incapable of doing anything to free himself.

_Arashi?_ he thought, attempting to make use of the non-verbal communication his cousin had taught him to use with the stallion. A chill went through him at receiving no reply and not even an acknowledgment.

"So, you are awake," Aizen observed, making the noble flinch as he spoke into Byakuya's ear, "And just to inform you of what I am sure you have already sensed, you are fitted with a special limiter that drains you when you exert yourself in movement or prolonged speech, which means that you will feel weak, and you will get even weaker if you try to exert yourself or use any powers."

"Why are you doing this? Why did you abduct me?" the noble demanded.

"Oh, I think that should be clear enough," Aizen said, a bit too pleasantly, "I escaped the prison and need a hostage to use to hold off anyone who tries to follow me. You are useful in that way, but don't make the mistake of thinking that I won't kill you if you misbehave, Byakuya."

"I haven't the energy for resistance, as you well know, having placed these bonds on me," Byakuya sighed wearily.

"But you forget that I know well how your mind works, my friend. And I know that although this limiter weakens your body, your mind is still completely aware of your circumstances. I would be foolish to leave you any openings, so I will take no chances."

"Aizen Sousuke being cautious," Byakuya managed sleepily, "Odd..."

"You are rather talkative for being under this limiter, but then, you must be exhausted, just keeping up your end of the conversation," Aizen said, looking amused and pleased with himself, "Still, you needn't worry, we have almost reached a waypoint."

"We are in Hueco Mundo, then?" Byakuya said, his eyes very slowly taking in the landscape.

"We are," Aizen answered calmly.

"Are you taking me to Las Noches?"

"Do you really think I am going to tell you that?"

"The belligerent man who thought he could defeat Ichigo Kurosaki would not have troubled himself with being cautious, but this newer incarnation seems wiser than the Aizen of old."

"The Aizen of old?" the former taichou said, smirking, "Do you mean the one from before or after my betrayal?"

Aizen caught his breath inwardly at the flash of sadness that invaded Byakuya's eyes for a moment then disappeared.

"As you have already stated before," the noble said, more softly, "There was no other Aizen...only you behind a lovely mask."

"Ah yes," Aizen remembered, smiling, "we were quite comfortable with each other back then."

"I am sure you were plenty comfortable, having complete advantage of me," Byakuya said with an edge of anger in his voice.

"Oh, you really shouldn't allow yourself to become too emotional," Aizen warned the piqued noble, "You will faint from overexertion."

"That would be more comfortable than sitting here, bearing your company anymore," Byakuya said evenly, "You may enjoy very much mocking what I took to be a friendship, but I do not enjoy being stricken repeatedly with reminders of my past mistakes."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. After all, you weren't the only one taken in, Byakuya. You are, as they say, _in good company_."

"Not as long as that company is you," the noble said darkly, "Now, why don't you tell me why you abducted me and where you are taking me?"

"I already told you. I..."

"Not that lie you told me before," Byakuya snapped, "the one I see in the way you look at me. You are up to something. You took me as more than a hostage. If you needed a hostage, you could have chosen anyone. But you chose me. You waited until I was alone with you and sprang your trap. The way it came about...the way you acted. You may not have known that I was coming that day, but you knew that I would come, and you were prepared for me. That much I know."

"Well," Aizen said, smiling more cryptically, "all joking aside, you really shouldn't continue talking. You will eventually faint from exhaustion and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"I cannot begin to guess what it is that you really want," Byakuya said, his voice shaking with the effort, "but no matter what you have planned, you will not succeed."

"Are you thinking that your precious friend, Ichigo, will come and save you?"

"I have more friends than just Ichigo, and we have all grown stronger during your incarceration."

"Yes, I noticed your stronger reiatsu," Aizen agreed, "But you must know that all of you could not stand up to me before and you will not stand up to me now either. I may not have the hogyoku's power right now, but I will have it again soon. You will not want to risk your loved ones and friends against the power I will wield."

"It doesn't matter. Someone will stop you, even if I cannot!" Byakuya insisted, his head going into a spin as his continued attempts to speak drained his energy.

Aizen watched closely as the noble's eyelids fluttered fitfully and he struggled to keep them open, but was slowly overwhelmed. He continued to take restless, shortened breaths and his lovely face was overwritten with anguish.

"You see now, you have pushed yourself too hard. And I was so enjoying your company too. But I shouldn't let myself get too attached. That wouldn't do at all."

He observed calmly as Byakuya fell into a troubled sleep, no longer fighting the limiter restraining him, but frowning and shifting uncomfortably as nightmares battered at his already tormented mind.

_It surprises me that I still feel anything for this man, knowing how he must despise me after all I've done, but it is very pleasant, holding him like this, breathing in his scent. And I can only imagine what it would be like to feel him..._

Aizen froze for a moment, looking down at where his arms were wrapped around the noble, holding him in place as it struck him that Byakuya's slender, softly trembling hands were holding on to his.

_What is this?_

_Byakuya is...?_

Aizen inhaled softly, considering for a moment before pressing closer against the noble's back and letting his reiatsu slowly surround his sleeping captive.

_There is a power I possess that, while touching him like this, I can invoke to read his strongest desire..._

"Kokoro no nozomi," he whispered, sending his power into Byakuya's incapacitated form.

Aizen felt a sensation like falling and closed his eyes, holding Byakuya tightly and honing in on his beating heart. His power brought him closer and closer to that pulsating center of his captured prey, slowly making him one with Byakuya's mind so that he could sense what radiated inside.

_Why?_ the noble's troubled mind wondered, _Why did I ever love this man and...why can't I hate him now? Even though, here, deep inside, I know already this man is going to take my life, why is there warmth in the arms that don't hold so much as possess me? And why do I wish that he wouldn't let go? There is no mercy in Sousuke Aizen, no love, no hope of redemption, only darkness and the promise of death. But...knowing that what I feel would never be returned, rather than face the humiliation of slowly destroying myself by loving him, let that love take its last breaths now. Whatever fate he carries me to, I will not go quietly into it. I will fight him until life leaves me. Only giving all of myself and finding peace with my fate won't leave me hollow inside and unable to pass over into death. Yes, embracing my hopeless fight, even to my undoing is the only way not to be turned into a hollow when he kills me. It is the only thing left that I control. Yes, Sousuke Aizen controls the moment of my passing, but I will control my heart to the very end...and sadly, that is how long I will secretly love him._

_Why?_

"Strange..." Aizen whispered, slowly withdrawing from Byakuya's tortured thoughts and focusing again on the desert ahead of them.

_Do you begin to regret your decision to kill him? _the hogyoku's voice inquired, _After all, you must be aware now that Byakuya is still in love with you. He hates himself for not being able to control that desire he feels for you, but even hating himself and knowing it is going to destroy him, he recognizes that the feeling is inescapable. And sadly, that love is given to a man who will never love him in return._

"What do you mean?" Aizen breathed softly, "You, yourself, pointed out that he has possessed my heart too. Isn't that why you expect me to kill him as part of our agreement?"

_But_, the hogyoku thought to itself, _if you really loved Byakuya Kuchiki, then you would not be able to kill him, would you? You are unworthy of such a heart, but...if I possessed my own body and greater powers, Byakuya would love me. I would finally be able to feel love reach me and Byakuya would know the beauty of being loved in return...and you, my traitorous creator, would be gone._

_Yes, that is what I want._

_I want Byakuya to love me._

_That is what I will gain when I use him to destroy you and to give me life._

_Yes._

_Byakuya is not the one who will be sacrificed, whose death will bring me to life._

_Your blood will be taken as payment and Byakuya and I will be bound together forever!_

But the soul inside the hogyoku was careful not to let its thoughts spill over.

_Yes, _it relayed to Aizen,_ that is why I want you to kill him._

But secretly inside the depths of the crystal housing, the soul that was the hogyoku dreamed of something quite different from what it had led Sousuke Aizen to believe was going to happen.

_He dreamed of opening his eyes slowly, and finding himself lying on his back on the sacrificial altar of the hollow king, seeing the world for the first time with his own senses and finding himself looking into curious grey eyes that cared for him, watching the noble's soft lips move._

_"Are you all right? Is he gone?" Byakuya asked tentatively, the dripping knife still clenched in his hand and Aizen's blood splashed all over his white-clad body._

_"Y-yes," he said, trying his own voice for the first time, "He is gone, Byakuya."_

_An expression of anguish rose on the noble's face as the truth passed through him. The hand that held the sacrificial blade trembled and let go, allowing the blood drenched weapon to clatter onto the altar as Byakuya backed away and lowered himself onto his knees, his hands clasping softly at his heart._

_"He is gone?" the noble repeated, a mixture of pain and, at the same time, relief in his voice, "Thank you. Thank you for unburdening me. Thank you, Hogyoku, for finally freeing me from him. You have my deepest gratitude."_

_But even Byakuya's gratitude couldn't stop the tears of mixed pain and relief at Aizen's passing. His slender arms wrapped around his shaking body and tears leaked onto the blood splashed skin of his lovely face._

_Step by careful step, he approached the noble, catching glimpses of his own face in the glistening obsidian of the chamber. He knelt in front of the distressed noble, slowly wrapping his arms around him and bringing Byakuya's head to rest on his shoulder._

_"Yes, you are free of him, and I am as well. So, you see, I am grateful to you also."_

_"What?" Byakuya queried, lifting his head slightly and giving the newly alive hogyoku a confused look that tickled the being's newly beating heart, "You...are grateful to me? Why? What have I done?"_

_"You freed me," he explained to the lovely noble in his arms, "Sousuke Aizen was my creator, but he never treated me like a living soul. He never gave me that much importance. He left me trapped in that crystal, always seeing to the desires of those around me and never, ever able to pursue my own! I could have spent all eternity like that and it would have been agony! But you slew him on the altar and gave both of us what we wanted. You wanted him gone from your heart and I wanted..."_

_"To live?" Byakuya asked softly, one still shaky hand touching the newly living hogyoku's handsome face._

_"Not just to live," the hogyoku informed him, "but to have a face, a body, an identity...and...to be able to give you this."_

_He leaned forward, capturing Byakuya's surprised lips in a long, possessive kiss. At first, the noble's hands pressed against his chest in soft protest, but as realization spread through Byakuya's body, so too came acceptance, and he relaxed into the hogyoku's warm arms and kissed him back, bringing the first swells of true arousal into his untried body. He felt a delicious throbbing in his loins that intensified as their kissing continued...as he lifted Byakuya and carried him back to the altar, laid him on top of it and slowly removed the blood soaked clothing that covered him, revealing, bit by bit, the soft, beautiful flesh that he had always dreamed of touching and then exploring every last inch as Byakuya looked up at him through wondering eyes._

_"Do you have a name?" he asked, "besides the one that Aizen gave you?"_

_"No. That man never recognized me nor accepted me as a living soul, even though he made me himself. But...you could name me."_

_Byakuya smiled and reached up to touch his face gently._

_"Very well," he whispered, "Your name is..."_

_He ached that he didn't know what name Byakuya would give him, but even not knowing, he dreamed of hearing it issued from those warm, soft lips for the first time, and him kissing those lips in gratitude until they could barely breathe. He laid his body on top of Byakuya's, rubbing against him and feeling the heavy twinges of desire along with the wonderful aches and throbs of his newly acquired body._

_Byakuya's more experienced hands guided his and the noble's lips smiled at him as the two prepared for their first joining. And when he finally became one with that other soul, he felt such heat and passion as he never could, trapped within the crystal prison Aizen had placed him in. He plunged heedlessly into Byakuya's body and plundered what had only desired Aizen until being set free by the traitor's death. In his blood, the two writhed and moaned, both taking and yielding unbridled pleasure. And for the first time, the soul that was the hogyoku could feel the full intensity of that pleasure as it gripped his new body and sent it tumbling over into heavy throbs of endless bliss. And as he came crashing down again from those heights, new warmth came into him at hearing Byakuya's deep, lovely voice say his name again longingly._

_"I love you..."_

"What is that odd flutter?" Aizen asked, shattering the hogyoku's dream and bringing it back into awareness, "That is not the first time I have felt it recently."

The spirit within the orb knew better than to reveal the truth and so revealed nothing of what it was truly thinking.

_It was nothing._

The hogyoku smiled inwardly at how easily the traitor dismissed the oddity and focused again on the man he was holding in his arms.

_Yes, even though you think you love him, you are not capable of love, Sousuke Aizen._

_But I am._

_So...I will guide you to the hollow king's lair and let Byakuya kill you._

_Then, I will give that man everything he once wanted you to give him!_

_We will be happy._

_We will be together._

_And you...will be gone!_


	5. Seeing Through

**Chapter 5: Devil in My Dreams**

"Are you warm enough?" Aizen asked, lying down next to the deeply controlled noble and laying a thick blanket over the two of them, "I thought I saw you shivering."

"Does my discomfort bother you?" Byakuya asked softly, forcing his emotions down so that the drain on his reiatsu would not increase and tire him more profoundly, "I do not understand. I know you are going to kill me."

"You sound very certain of yourself," Aizen mused, blinking slowly as he looked up into the icy white stars, "You could survive this, Byakuya. You have only to cooperate and you will live."

"I am not stupid, Sousuke Aizen," Byakuya chided him, carefully keeping his body calm and relaxed as he spoke, "I know you will kill me. You may have been able to deceive me before, but I know what a vicious and heartless person you are. You trust no one. You rely on no one. And you love no one."

"I have loved you for a very long time, Byakuya Kuchiki," Aizen confessed, looking down into the noble's weary grey eyes.

"I don't know why you bothered to say such a thing," Byakuya replied, closing his eyes against the brightness for a moment.

"You don't believe me?"

"It simply doesn't matter," the noble answered, opening his eyes and meeting Aizen's quietly, "If you are lying to me or if you are telling me the truth, it will not change my fate. That much is written in your every move."

"Oh?"

"I saw it before in the video captures, the recordings that are always taken within Central 46...when you stood, face to face, with Momo Hinamori and looked down into her eyes, then sought to kill her suddenly."

"I was sparing her."

"It was not kindness."

"No."

"You take care of your victims while there is something you want from them and you end their lives quickly, without allowing them to feel anything more than a final moment of shock and betrayal," Byakuya concluded, still maintaining perfect calm, "If you are making me comfortable, there is something you want from me. When you have what you want, you will end my life quickly."

"But I sense I will not do so without causing you some anguish," Aizen sighed, "I had hoped to avoid distressing you, but you are a man who understands strategy all too well."

"There was no strategy in telling me that you love me," Byakuya said, frowning, "You needn't have confessed that to me. It accomplishes nothing. It is meaningless to me in that it brings neither hope that you will not kill me, nor any comfort as I approach the end of my life. I wonder, then, if you mean to torment me. Do you hate me?"

"I do despise what you are," Aizen confessed, "I was fascinated by you when you were younger, before they had their way with you and made you over into one of them."

"Is it wrong to honor the family that gave me life? That cared for me? That took care of me and comforted me through my losses?"

"I would ask you the same thing," Aizen replied, his eyes turning cold.

"Is that why you murdered all of the Central 46 councilors the way you did, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked, seeking his eyes again.

"I was finished with them."

"They did something to you."

"What do you mean?"

"There are no records of your birth or of your family," the noble explained, "Everything has been erased."

"I could have done that myself," Aizen countered, "What makes you think it was them?"

"The way you killed them," Byakuya answered solemnly, "That too, was recorded. And it makes me wonder why you didn't destroy the recordings. You knew you were being recorded and that after, once you were gone, the authorities would pore over that information for any clues. You did carefully avoid saying anything useful, but you allowed this evidence of your actions to remain."

"I simply didn't care. It doesn't matter if anyone sees. There is nothing in that surveillance material but video of a maniac slaughtering defenseless politicians."

"Is that so?" Byakuya asked pointedly, "Because I saw something else when I viewed the recordings with the other captains you betrayed and we all tried to make sense of things."

"Oh?"

"I first noticed it when I saw how you slew several members of my clan. Two you simply dispatched, but two you spoke to. Their bodies stiffened as you killed them."

"And?"

"You let them know who was killing them and why, didn't you?" Byakuya calmly accused him, "You knew to lower your voice so that the recording would not reveal your words, or maybe you distorted it somehow, but you whispered into their ears as they realized what was about to happen and you made sure they died in terror. It was very personal. They did something to you, those ones you spoke to."

Byakuya stiffened suddenly as a flicker of kido jolted his body, then his startled eyes blinked and closed.

_Why did you do that?_ the hogyoku inquired, _Isn't it a comfort to have the one you love look through the things that everyone else could not see through and recognize the truth? You said it yourself. They hurt you and killed your family and so you killed them. This man you love divined that. Wasn't it a comfort to be understood? Or did it make you afraid?_

"I have nothing to fear from Byakuya being astute enough to guess my reasons for murdering those councilors. He is a highly intelligent man. It isn't surprising he figured it out."

_But why render him unconscious? It was the perfect moment to show your appreciation._

"You required as part of our agreement that Byakuya must remain virginal," Aizen reminded him, "Had we connected in that moment, I might have made love to him."

_Ah, he is a very striking temptation, I know. You see how he undoes you._

Aizen considered the hogyoku's words for a moment, then reached into his clothing and removed a well sharpened hunting knife.

_What are you doing?_

The crystal in Aizen's chest flared and harsh light impeded the weapon as Aizen tilted the unconscious noble's head back and attempted to cut his exposed throat.

_Stop, you fool! I told you I need him to construct my body._

"I am sure we can find another virgin rather readily," Aizen answered calmly, "We don't need him. And may I remind you that you did require me to kill him. If he is replaceable with someone else, we lose nothing by killing him now and seeking another. It will take no time at all."

_You misunderstand,_ the hogyoku went on, _I do not just want Byakuya Kuchiki to die, I want him to die as I have prescribed...to give me life, so that he pays for impeding me! He is not worthy of such a gentle death. I will not allow this._

"I see," Aizen mused, looking down at the stone in his chest, "You don't just want revenge on him, you want to punish me for loving him. Interesting. Are you sure that there isn't something more?"

_What do you mean?_

"Such vehement action, such viciousness," Aizen noted, "One might suspect a bit of jealousy."

_When I have a body and rule the hollows, I can have any lover I choose. I do not need him._

"Ah, but as you have pointed out, passions get in the way of our goals. I imagine your passions need to be controlled as well. You should allow me to kill him, for both our sakes. He could undo us all over again," Aizen said, smirking.

_He is no threat. And if you dare to harm him, I don't mind making sure we return to that cell to wait out the twenty thousand years they gave you. I suffer nothing from that. It doesn't change my existence at all as long as my soul is housed within this crystal._

"One might wonder why you would endanger your own existence by leaving it," Aizen said quietly.

_I think it is entirely understandable, having viewed life from within here, to want to be a part of it._

"Even if you risk dying?" Aizen asked curiously.

_I will not die. I will take on an immortal form._

"You sound very convinced of that," Aizen observed, "You are...prepared for every contingency then?"

_I assure you,_ the hogyoku insisted, _Nothing will impede me!_

Aizen chuckled softly, then slid the hunting knife back into it's sheath and slipped it back into his clothing. He leaned over the unconscious captain and touched gentle fingertips to his closed eyelids, then brought his limp hands up above his head and kido bound his wrists together.

_What are you doing now? _the hogyoku inquired.

"Well," said Aizen, smirking, "You did say that while I might not kill or rape him, that I could certainly play with him."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me again what we're doing here," Ichigo complained, "Why the hell'd you drag me into this?"

"I told you," Renji snapped in an irritated tone, "I needed help from a high ranking noble family to get me into Central 46."

"And we're doing that because...?"

"Okay, I _know _it sounds like I've lost my mind. But my husband and my captain are both _missing_, damn it! And the last clue I had was Captain Kuchiki's message that they were going to Muken to see Sousuke Aizen."

"Aizen!" Ichigo repeated, scowling, "Why were they going to see him?"

"The captain commander told me that he sent them there to check into allegations that Aizen was being mistreated."

"So, if they were there, then there would be a prison record of their visit, ne?"

"Yeah."

"And...?"

"There is," Renji confirmed, "I called ahead and checked. They signed in at one in the afternoon and signed out an hour later."

"And someone made sure Aizen was still in his cell after?"

"Yeah. He's confirmed as being _secured_ at every check after that."

"Then, you've kinda got me confused about why we're going there. If..."

"Think about it," Renji hissed softly, "They never checked back in at the division and they never returned to Kuchiki Manor. They disappeared after that, Ichigo. And that tells me..."

"I get it," the Shiba heir said, his eyes hardening, "You think Aizen pulled something."

"And I need you, not just to get through security, but to see if Aizen used an illusion. Remember, all shinigamis have natural talent that is amplified with a zanpakuto, but even without one, any shinigami can still be dangerous."

"Which is why he was put in that place."

"Only, apparently, even that wasn't enough to stop him," Renji concluded, "I'm telling you, Ichigo, I feel it in my gut. Aizen did something to them and I think he may have escaped."

"Well, I hope you're wrong, but let's make sure, okay?"

The two flash stepped forward, rapidly moving across the Seireitei to the Central 46 compound.

"Lord Shiba!" the guard at the compound's entrance exclaimed, "We weren't told you were coming."

"This officer and I need access to Sousuke Aizen's cell," Ichigo informed the man, "I have clearance, as the heir to a ranking clan."

"Yes sir," the guard said, stepping aside, "Please just pick up your visitor badges at the check-in desk."

The two hurried inside and submitted quickly to the screening and search, then proceeded swiftly to the lift that carried them down into the prison. They made their way through the checkpoints and approached Aizen's cell, pausing outside to check in with the final set of guards. The two could barely contain themselves as the guard unlocked Aizen's cell and they rushed inside. The two turned their gaze onto the bound prisoner and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Kami, you were right, Renji!" the Shiba heir gasped.

Renji's eyes squinted and strained, then rounded as he flash stepped forward and tore at the prisoner's bonds.

"Tetsuya!"

The two worked feverishly at the leather straps, then shattered the additional binding kido. Once freed, Tetsuya slumped forward into Renji's arms.

"Tetsuya, are you okay?" Renji asked in a panicked tone, "C'mon, answer me!"

He grabbed the noble's face and met Tetsuya's widened, senseless eyes.

"Tetsuya, come on!" the redhead cried, "He's got Captain Kuchiki! Aizen's escaped!"

"R-renji?" Tetsuya whispered, blinking and trying to focus.

"Yeah," Renji answered, kissing the noble's frowning lips and holding him tightly.

"What's wrong with him, Renji?" Ichigo asked, "He's really out of it. Do you think Aizen messed with him?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's just from being locked up in here and everyone thinking he was Aizen. Damn!"

"Renji, where is my cousin?" Tetsuya asked, struggling to sit up.

"I don't know," the redhead confessed, "But we're gonna find him, okay? Just...Ichigo and I need you to tell me anything you remember about coming here with Byakuya."

"Ah...I...I remember leaving the sixth division and coming here...checking in. We examined Aizen briefly, then Byakuya told me to wait at the door."

Tetsuya paused, shuddering and his eyes tearing as he forced himself to continue.

"The...next thing I remember w-was waking in that chair. I tried and tried, but no one seemed to hear me! They came in and...!"

"Oh shit!" Renji breathed, shifting and quickly opening the noble's shihakusho slightly to examine his upper body.

"What the hell!" Ichigo gasped, "They were beating him?"

"That's why the captain commander sent them here, remember? They were investigating allegations that Aizen was being abused."

"And it looks like even their investigation didn't stop those bastards from continuing the abuse," Ichigo said in a disgusted tone, "You want me to call for a healer?"

"No!" Tetsuya panted, pushing Renji's hands away and surging onto unsteady legs, "I'll be fine, but I need to find my cousin!"

Tetsuya lowered his eyes for a moment, focusing deeply.

"Tetsuya?" Ichigo queried worriedly, "What is it?"

"I can't get Arashi to answer me!" the noble exclaimed.

"They took Arashi?" Renji asked, shaking his head in frustration, "Damn, I want to kill that bastard!"

"Problem is, he can't even die," Ichigo sighed in annoyance, "And how in the hell are we going to track him? I can see through his illusions, but I'm only one person and he's got a horse and a huge head start!"

"I can track Arashi!" Tetsuya cried.

"Whoa! Hold on a sec," Renji objected, "You're not really in any shape to go anywhere right now. You need to see a healer!"

"My cousin doesn't have time to wait while I see a healer!" Tetsuya snapped furiously, "If we want to rescue him, we have to find Aizen quickly!"

"But I don't sense Byakuya's reiatsu at all," Renji said worriedly.

"Aizen's probably concealing it," Ichigo surmised.

"Well, he might be able to keep us from sensing my cousin," Tetsuya informed them, "but my connection with Arashi is different. Even suppressing his reiatsu and controlling him, he can't keep me from sensing a part of myself. Arashi is a part of me, so I can _always_ find him."

"Sounds like we need to trust Tetsuya's sense of things," Ichigo concluded.

"Fine," said Renji, "But if we're going to go after Aizen, then we need some help from someone we know can out-think him."

The three exchanged glances and nodded.

"Kisuke Urahara," Tetsuya said softly, "He will help us think of some way to stop Aizen!"


	6. Two Spiders and a Butterfly

**Chapter 6: Two Spiders and a Butterfly**

"Have you finished?"

Byakuya blinked and inhaled in surprise at finding himself sitting at a small desk by a window, looking out at a misted lake. He remembered the place instantly, of course, having been there many times in his youth. And it was a place he hadn't just been, but had dreamt about when his loneliness seemed unbearable.

_This is an illusion, of course, _he surmised, _But why is Sousuke doing this? He is going to kill me. I know he is. Is this just more cruelty...or..._

"Byakuya?"

He turned his head slowly and felt a jolt as he encountered Sousuke Aizen, not as the dastardly leader of the hollows, but as the gentle scientist Byakuya had loved.

"You look unwell," Aizen said in a concerned tone, moving closer and bringing a hand to his face, "Do you need to lie down?"

"Why are you doing this?" Byakuya whispered, looking into the man's eyes and seeing only kindness and concern, "It wasn't enough to torment me by giving me this false image to fall in love with? Now, even as you guide me to the place where you will take my life, you torture me with my old, dead desires?"

"You admit that you loved me this way?" Aizen said, smiling, "You? A son of the greatest house among the noble clans loved a peasant like this? How unseemly!"

"You know that I loved you. I admitted that you already. But...even if I hadn't, you knew, didn't you, Sousuke? It was how you lured me to Muken...isn't it?"

Aizen's smile wavered slightly.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, "Didn't you say that you _were sent_ to examine me? You give me far too much credit for being able to influence matters from within my bonds. I was bound and my powers drawn close. The hogyoku was and still is sealed. How then did I lure you?"

"You are a monster," Byakuya said softly, staring into the man's kind, gentle face and searching for the wicked man beneath the mask, "but you are a brilliant intellect, Sousuke. So, even bound and without being able to use your own powers, you reasoned that I would come. And you and the hogyoku prepared carefully for that moment, didn't you?"

"But that is not luring you," Aizen pointed out, "It is only seizing an opportunity."

"No, I was lured," Byakuya insisted, "It is just that...when you tempted me in my younger years and you knew I loved you, you planned to make use of that, if ever you needed it. And that knowledge did help you to use me in the end."

"You make it sound so dastardly," Aizen said softly into his ear, "You make it sound as though I never returned an ounce of feeling, Byakuya."

"You couldn't have," Byakuya answered in a distant, heartbreakingly lonely voice, "If you loved me, you wouldn't be planning to kill me."

"I told you not to dwell on that," Aizen chided him, "Let's not think about the future, Byakuya. We have this place back, the people we were and the chance to relive this the way we choose. Why don't we take the opportunity and live out your dreams? If indeed, it is your fate to die, do you not wish to have lived this?"

Byakuya's eyes closed and his lips quivered in reaction. A moment later a tear slid down one pale cheek.

"You are a heartless beast," he whispered, "to tease me with such lies, just so I will not fight for my life."

Aizen slipped his fingers beneath Byakuya's chin and raised it so their eyes met.

"Whether you fight for your life or not will make no difference," he said solemnly.

"I am already lost. I know that."

"But you will fight for your life anyway," Aizen said with certainty, "_I know that_."

"Then, why are we here in this illusion? Why have you done this? Is it just out of cruelty?"

Aizen's smile became unbearably warm.

"If I was being cruel, I would have controlled you as I did when we were leaving Muken and I would have made you my plaything."

"You didn't control my mind," Byakuya corrected him, "You only dulled it so that you could make my body to what you wanted done. For this to be a fruitful conquest, you would have to either overcome my will or actually gain control of my mind, my heart. Even you, Sousuke Aizen, don't have the power to do that."

"So then, why do you think I brought you here?"

"You brought me here for the same reason that you abducted me," Byakuya answered, looking back into his eyes fearlessly.

"You said that I abducted you to kill you."

"No, I said that you abducted me and kept me alive because you want to use me for something. My death will serve a purpose for you. What is that purpose, Sousuke? Tell me now."

Aizen let out a soft, approving breath and the image of him in front of Byakuya shimmered, then took on its more wickedly handsome form. He leaned forward and whispered into Byakuya's ear, sending a blush roaring along his face and throat.

"_Very_ astute, my love! I am genuinely impressed."

"I ask again, why did you bring me here?"

Aizen inhaled slowly, moving past Byakuya to look out the open window.

"Very well, I confess, I brought you here because there is something I need from you. It may or may not be something that can save your life...and mine."

Byakuya's frown deepened.

"Save your life, Sousuke?" he asked, shaking his head, "What do you mean? You are fused with the hogyoku. It grants you immortality. Why would you need something from me...something from _anyone_ to save your life?"

Aizen lifted a hand and a glass of wine appeared in it. He took a sip and continued to gaze quietly out the window.

"Would you like a drink, Byakuya?" he offered, "Only imagine it and it will appear for you."

"I am fine," Byakuya said, moving to join him, "But Sousuke, you must tell me, why is it that you think your life is in danger?"

Aizen took another sip of his wine and turned a dark, unreadable eye onto the curious noble.

"Before I tell you that, let me explain something to you. When I became one with the hogyoku, it gained access to something it had never experienced. You see, that soul is contained in a crystal...a stone. Not a body. It has no senses and does not experience the world the way you and I do. But...when it joined with me, it was able to engage my memories, to relive what I had experienced, and as my experiences continued, it could experience them with me."

"That would seem to give the hogyoku only reason to preserve you, not kill you," Byakuya surmised.

"One would think," Aizen agreed, "Yet, you must take into account that having a sudden knowledge of me, of my powers and the experiences of my body, it would soon realize that I am a danger to its existence. And naturally, when something like the hogyoku determines a threat, it will act to eliminate it."

"But to kill you, the hogyoku has to first be separated from you," Byakuya reasoned.

"Exactly," Aizen said, touching Byakuya's face lightly, "And don't you think that a sacrificial altar, a divine weapon and...a beautiful and powerful captive might be the drawing board for our separation and my death?"

Byakuya sucked in a surprised breath.

"You...think that rather than this being just a way to...?"

"While I was imprisoned, the hogyoku was quiet for a while. I think that it didn't know quite what to do at first. And it was examining the past, as well as my thoughts...at least, the ones I did not conceal in illusions. When it spoke to me again, it enticed me to believe that you would come to us and that it knew a way to ensnare you and use you for our escape. You wondered why you were brought along, ne?"

"Yes, but I know it just for you to kill me later, Sousuke. You've as much as admitted that."

"That is _the hogyoku's plan_," Aizen corrected him.

"The hogyoku plotted my death?" the noble said incredulously, "But why?"

"I told you that the hogyoku, upon becoming one with me, was given insight into my past, as well as what thoughts I had not concealed using my own powers. It received all of my sensory information, and because it was fused with my body, it could make sense of that information. The hogyoku learned that I was in love with you, Byakuya. It learned that you had loved the person I pretended to be. And it read that as my greatest weakness."

"This is why it chose to use me for your escape?"

"Not just for my escape," Aizen explained, "The hogyoku wanted more. It wanted a physical body, an immortal body. And while we were not yet joined, it encountered someone who knew of a way that might work. It captured that information and explained to me that there is an ancient chamber in the old king's palace in Hueco Mundo. In that chamber is a sacrificial altar and a divine weapon that could separate us and kill me."

"I thought that I was the sacrifice," Byakuya said, looking confused.

"Oh...no, no, no, my love. You are not the sacrifice. You are the _prize_!"

Byakuya stared back at him wordlessly.

"The hogyoku told me to bring you along so that it could have me use you in the sacrificial ritual to separate us. It specifically chose you because it said that you had been a hindrance in my transcendence. I was in love with you and that love interfered with my focus on becoming king. That, the hogyoku decided, is why I fell short. It decided that by using you as the sacrifice, it could rid me of my connection to you. Once you were gone, it planned to use your emptied body to make a body for itself. And it would become king of Hueco Mundo while elevating me to Soul King."

"But you don't believe that is really the hogyoku's plan?" Byakuya inquired.

"Do you?" Aizen asked, eyeing him meaningfully, "You might have been a hindrance, but you are not a direct threat to the hogyoku, Byakuya. And in fact, by joining with me and walking the path of my life, the hogyoku saw in you what I saw that made me love you."

"You think the hogyoku is in love with me?" Byakuya asked incredulously, "But it isn't alive! It...!"

"It experienced my past and everything since. It is as if alive, without being so in reality. But touching life has made it desire life. And touching me has made it aware that I am its maker, so I could also destroy it. While the hogyoku does not have a motivation to kill you, it has both a motivation to want to possess you and to want to see me dead. That is why it demanded that you be brought along and used for the ritual. The hogyoku is going to betray me...and you, my love, are the key to stopping it."

"I don't understand. How can I stop it? I am a prisoner to you. I am powerless and unable to escape you."

"You have access to a source of information that the hogyoku and I do not."

Byakuya looked back at him with a confused expression for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization.

"You want me to enter the family archive?" he asked softly.

Aizen nodded.

"When you were learning calligraphy from me, you once mentioned that a Kuchiki leader can enter the archive from anywhere."

"If you allow me to enter the archive, what is to keep me from escaping?" Byakuya asked.

Aizen gave him a devilish look.

"What is it? What are you plotting?" Byakuya demanded furiously.

"I am asking you to enter the archive to look for information regarding this altar and divine blade. I want you to find that information and return here."

"Here?" Byakuya repeated uncomprehendingly, "You mean...?"

"You can enter the archive from _anywhere_, ne?"

"Yes, but..."

"When you are under the influence of my illusion, the hogyoku cannot see you. It sees only your body lying still on the ground, being controlled by me. While you are inside my illusion, you can enter the archive and search it."

"But I repeat, what is to keep me from just remaining there, once I enter, Sousuke?"

Aizen's hand slipped under his chin again and guided his gaze out the window where Arashi stood at the edge of the lake.

"You will...hurt Arashi?" Byakuya whispered, his face paling.

"Oh, I think you know I would be hurting more than that lovely creature out there," Aizen chided him.

He leaned closer so that his breath teased the Kuchiki heir's earlobe.

"I sensed the strong connection between that beast and your cousin. And you should understand, when I used my powers to control Arashi, I made him believe I was Tetsuya. In so doing, I was able to slip beneath his defenses and learn about that connection. You see, I know that if Arashi dies, so does Tetsuya. Arashi is part of Tetsuya."

"You ANIMAL!" Byakuya cried, turning and striking at the other man.

Aizen captured Byakuya's wrists and glared meaningfully into his dark, enraged eyes. Instantly, Byakuya's body weakened and his legs trembled.

"Have you forgotten, Byakuya?" Aizen said coldly, "We are in the grip of my illusion! I control _everything _here! I will make this simple for you. Fighting me is useless, as are your outbursts. My life is in danger and whether you wish to help or not, I will use you to protect myself."

"You are a monster!" the Kuchiki heir gasped, dropping onto his knees at Aizen's feet, "I hope that thing _does _kill you! It would make our worlds a better place!"

"Oh," Aizen said sedately, "is that what you think, Byakuya? You want to side with the hogyoku and let it kill me? Do you realize what it wants to do after that?"

Byakuya looked up into Aizen's dark, angry eyes and remained silent.

"It wants to be king, itself. And...what role do you think that you, the lovely pawn in all of this will play when it becomes king? Remember that it wants you every bit as much as I do. It will lie, cheat, steal and kill to get what it wants. And when it has you, it will bend you to its will and make you its personal plaything."

"Then, my duty is clear," Byakuya said, recovering himself slightly, "I must do what I can to stop you both."

"Why do you need to stop me?" Aizen asked, frowning, "I want to be separated from the hogyoku, but I also want to destroy it. I think that the sacrificial blade is the key. That is what I want you to research. Helping me will bring an end to the real threat to the king, Byakuya. Without the hogyoku, I am strong, but I am not strong enough to slay the king. So, why not help me?"

"I don't trust you!"

"That is a wise choice," Aizen agreed, "However, this is not a matter of trust, but a matter of survival. You want to live. You want the king to live."

"And I want you locked up in Muken where you belong!" Byakuya shouted angrily.

"And you will not be able to do _anything_ if you do not help me to get the information I need, don't you understand? The hogyoku doesn't want me to have access to that information. If you find it and you assist me, I can destroy that infernal thing and the king will be safe."

"And you will undoubtedly be free to begin plotting again!" Byakuya accused him, "No! There is no way that I am going to help you!"

"I see," Aizen said softly, turning his eye on Arashi.

Byakuya watched in horror as the stallion made a sound of distress and began to stagger. He collapsed onto his knees and in the background behind the Arabian, Byakuya could see a shadowy image of his cousin, staggering and collapsing as Arashi had.

"No, don't!" he cried desperately, "Sousuke, if you truly love me, then don't hurt them!"

Aizen went silent, still glaring into his eyes.

"I can't protect myself against the hogyoku's plans unless you assist me, Byakuya. My life is at stake. And if you plan to doom me to death, then you will pay for that, just as those horrid councilors paid for...!"

He caught himself and forced a smile.

Never mind," he said off-handedly, "I will grant you some time to think. We have a long journey ahead and if you cannot be convinced by me, maybe you will be convinced when the hogyoku approaches you."

"When the hogyoku approaches me?" Byakuya queried, "How...?"

"The hogyoku is sentient, Byakuya. You are in close proximity to me, so all it has to do is speak into your mind."

Byakuya glared up at Aizen belligerently.

"It has no power over me."

"Although it is sealed and cannot transform you, it still has the power to manifest the means for you to accomplish your greatest desires, as long as they are something you can aspire to. But...the hogyoku has developed something that I did not plan for. It has become self aware. It has its own desires, and that makes it even more dangerous than it was before I fused with it. Byakuya, you must carefully think about what your desires truly are. Those desires are what the hogyoku will exploit to achieve its own desires. You know this to be true."

He paused and sighed resignedly.

"What's wrong?"

"It is time to go. We must return and continue our journey. I will use my powers to bring us back here tonight. I hope you will give careful consideration to what I've told you. All our lives depend on it."

Byakuya felt a sensation like falling and came awake to find himself still hampered by the reiatsu suppression. Aizen helped him to his feet, and onto Arashi's back, then he mounted and settled behind the noble, wrapping his arms around Byakuya's waist and saying nothing as Arashi carried them onward.

_Did you enjoy your illusion games with him last night? _the hogyoku asked, speaking into Aizen's mind.

_Yes, it was amusing. It is only too bad that I can't do the lovely erotic things to him in reality that we are doing in my illusions, _Aizen answered, smirking into Byakuya's satin hair.

He felt the hogyoku's vicious swirl of anger and his smile widened.

_What? You didn't think we would make love in my inner world? How shortsighted. I am having all of the fun I want with him..._

_...and he is still technically a virgin._


	7. Promises Made in Darkness

**Chapter 7: Promises Made in Darkness**

Seated astride his cousin's horse with Sousuke Aizen's body pressed up against his back, Byakuya tried to shake off the feeling of exhaustion that the reiatsu sapping device employed to weaken him. As much as his body needed to remain as still as possible, his mind worked furiously, trying to think of a way to escape. As they moved forward, the noble began to feel the frequent touches of the hogyoku. Even though hindered by their clothing, it had an eerie, dangerous feel. He remembered again Aizen's stern warning.

_He said that it only has to speak into my mind. And if what he was telling me was true, it will do so soon._

His heart flickered with mingled hope and twinges of fear at the thought.

_If he is right about it having its own will and desires, then it is likely to be as treacherous as he is. I don't dare trust it. But if its intellect is as powerful as Sousuke's, then it will be aware of my reticence. I must be very cautious._

He continued to struggle with the matter as the limiter placed on him sucked the reiatsu out of him, leaving him drained and feeling lifeless. Held securely in Aizen's arms aboard the black stallion, Byakuya began to fade in and out of awareness. And while he was in between those two places, he wasn't sure whether what he heard was real or if he had imagined.

_Byakuya?_

He blinked slowly and a throb of apprehension went through his insides.

_Do you fear me?_

He forced a slow, steadying breath.

_Who are you?_ he asked in his mind.

_Oh, you know who I am,_ the voice continued, _I have been trying to make contact with you, but you are very weak and drained from wearing that limiter. Would you like to be free of it?_

Byakuya lips tightened.

_Do you think I am stupid?_ he replied, _Don't act like you are on my side. You are as invested in whatever is happening, actually more so, because it was your idea to lure me and bring me on this journey that is going to end in my death._

The voice went silent for a moment.

_He told you about that? _it responded finally, _I am not really surprised, though. It is in his best interests for you to be unable to act. After all, he is the one who wants you to die. Even though he tempts you and romances you, he does not love you._

Byakuya considered his words carefully.

_And what does a soul that has never really experienced life know of love? Locked in that crystal, you are poised just outside of real life and not able to be a part of it._

_You are right_, the hogyoku answered, _I am trapped in this place and I want very much to be free of it. I will tell you truthfully that it was this that made me work with him._

_But you are a construct that was created by Sousuke Aizen. You are supposed to manifest the desires of those around you who are in need._

_That is true,_ answered the voice, _However, to be aware of and able to manifest others' desires, I needed to understand desires. I am a creature of desire, Byakuya, and what I desire most is life._

Byakuya's heart quickened as he sensed the hogyoku's desire for connection.

_Before we go further, will you tell me what exactly you are? How did Sousuke construct you?_

He felt as though he had earned a smile from the soul within the crystal.

_That is a useful question, isn't it? I know that right now, you are looking for any way to escape us. I won't help you escape, but I will connect with you. Through the touching of our minds, I will bring you to a place where we can talk._

Byakuya tensed as a sharp dizziness passed through him and he felt his physical senses fade. His whole existence seemed to retreat into a pinpoint and he felt himself being pulled inward as though gripped by someone or something he couldn't begin to understand.

"Byakuya," the voice said, sounding much closer and more real, "In this state, you can hear me, but you have no other working senses. I wanted to calm you because when I began to draw you in, I felt your terror. You are still connected to your body and while we ride through the desert, Sousuke Aizen will care for your physical form. This will give you and me the ability to connect. In a moment, you will regain your senses and you will be with me, within the crystal housing where I live. You will seem to have a physical form, which I provide because if you were simply placed in here without some protection, your shinigami mind would be too horrified from the shock and you could lose your mind and die of fright. Just remain calm and let yourself see. It will be all right.

Byakuya began to feel his body again. He was able to breathe in and out slowly as he recovered and his other senses gradually returned to him. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in the bed that had been in Sousuke Aizen's bedroom where he had met the former captain for calligraphy lessons.

_I shouldn't be surprised, _Byakuya reasoned, _Sousuke said that the hogyoku had experienced his past. This is just from that connection with it._

"Are you more comfortable now?" Aizen's voice asked, startling him.

Byakuya sat up slowly and came face to face with Aizen's kinder, bespectacled form again. He frowned in confusion.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, "Why are you appearing to me as him? As his fabricated self?"

"I can appear as someone else," the hogyoku explained, "Anyone that he has ever encountered in his life, I can be."

Byakuya sucked in a surprised breath as he found himself suddenly looking at his father, then his grandfather, then the captain commander.

"You see? I can take on whatever of these forms is most comfortable for you. I chose this one because of your connection with him that was very strong when you were younger. You loved him, I know. I thought that taking this form would be more soothing than another."

"It doesn't soothe me to see that illusion," Byakuya said bitterly, "It is a lie, just like any form you would take. Why don't you show me what you really look like? Why don't you show me what you really are?"

The spirit sat down on the edge of the bed, still displaying Aizen's gentler form.

"Don't you understand?" it asked, "I have no form. I am nothing but a soul, trapped in this orb. I am not able to connect with the world outside, except as he interacts with it. It is a cruel thing, Byakuya, to be poised so closely to life, to feel its beauty, but not to ever be able to touch it."

"Please, explain to me what you really are. Tell me how he made you."

The man in front of him extended a hand and touched seeking fingers to the noble's face. Byakuya felt a heavy jolt at the contact and fell back on the bed, his mind drawn into a swirl of memory as the hogyoku shared the secret of its creation.

_Aizen smiled as he passed through the precipice world, the dull looking orb in his hand and his ear listening carefully._

_"The Dangai is a place where lost souls dwell," he whispered, "These are the bits and pieces of souls that pass through. As those souls move through here, they shed and leave behind their lifetime regrets, the shattered and empty remains of their hopes and dreams, their needs and desires. Those are trapped here, where the cleaner pursues them as it cleanses. So many are devoured by it and fade into nothing, but some escape and drift within the passage. Sometimes we hear echoes as we pass through, and it is those echoes I seek..."_

_Byakuya watched as Aizen registered one of the desperate voices and held up the prepared orb. A tiny light flashed as the bit of lost soul was sucked into the crystal housing._

The noble felt another strange jolt and found himself back in Aizen's former home, sitting on the bed and looking into Aizen's bespectacled eyes.

"So...you are a creature made up of regret?" Byakuya concluded.

"I am the gathering of millions of desires that were lost," the hogyoku explained, "I understand keenly the pain of those lost souls, because they are a part of me. That is why I began to manifest the desires of those around me. It was to heal what pain I could, to complete what had become empty. Before, all I could do was to live in fear in the darkness of that place. But, placed within the orb and fed by Aizen with the souls of other people, I grew powerful enough to do something about the pain the souls used to create me experienced. With the power given me, I right the wrongs of cruel fate. You, who lost your wife, your father, your mother, you know what I am speaking of. I can sense the desires of your heart, Byakuya."

The image of Aizen gave him a knowing smile.

"You are lonely, Byakuya. You have been missing something for all of your life. I understand. And lost desires being the center of my usefulness, I want to fill that void in you. Usually, I would manifest your desires in a different way, but because of how I have grown to feel about you, I want to treat your desires to something different."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked.

"I want you give me a body."

"A body?"

"Yes. This one is only a fabrication. It will be the one you see when I bring you inside the orb. You can imagine me however you wish. I will give you an empty shape on which to build. I only ask that you make me unique and not a copy of anyone you know. I want you to know what it is to create life, to build a soul from nothing."

Byakuya knelt on the bed as the image of Aizen faded slightly and became faceless. His clothing and features melted away, leaving only a male outline that climbed onto the bed and laid down beside him. The noble stared down at the blank slate given to him. He considered for several long minutes before leaning closer and beginning.

He began with the being's eyes, making them large and friendly, then coloring them a handsome jade color. The man's hair he made a sandy color, like the surface of the land they were passing through. His skin, Byakuya made an even tone, neither too pale nor too dark. He made the facial features gentle and slightly delicate. His body he shaped to be trim and athletic, muscular for fighting and pleasantly attractive. He dressed the man's body in a comfortable yukata, and nodded to show he was finished.

The man rose out of the bed and walked slowly to the full length mirror across the room, where he opened his yukata and examined the body Byakuya had crafted, smiling in approval.

"Lovely," he said softly, his voice changing so that it was not so deep as Aizen's and emanated more softly, "Thank you, Byakuya."

He walked back to the bed and leaned over the noble, placing a hand on his cheek, then offering him a gentle, grateful kiss.

"This form is pleasing to you?" it asked.

"Yes," Byakuya answered, "and it doesn't feel like a lie as the stolen images did. It gives me something familiar to connect to when we are together."

"Then, it is the form I will always take when I am here with you...and...it is the form we will craft for real when we reach our destination."

"Where are we going?" Byakuya asked cautiously, "Where are you taking me?"

"I know you have many questions. I will answer them, but...you must not reveal what you learn to Sousuke Aizen. He is a vicious criminal. I know that when he spirited you away before, he began to poison your mind against me, but he is only thinking of gaining the power to continue his domination of the three worlds. If we are to stop him, then we must work together."

"If we are to stop him?" Byakuya repeated curiously, "I thought that you existed to manifest the desires of those around you, not to impede them."

"That is true," agreed the hogyoku, "But when I was fused with Sousuke Aizen, I became more capable of connecting with the others around me. And where I used to only manifest the desires of the ones around me in a blind fashion, I have my own desires and I make my own choices about who I will assist. That man is a monster. He is not meant to be a god. It is you, Byakuya, whose wishes I want to fulfill."

"Then let me go!" Byakuya said urgently, "I know that Sousuke is going to kill me. If you want to help me, then you must help me to escape him!"

The newly crafted man shook his head gently.

"You know that is a simplistic answer," he chided the noble, "If you escape, he will only come after you. I am limited in what I can do to protect you, Byakuya. To enable me to free you, you must come with us through the desert. And when we reach the old hollow king's palace, you must take up the blade you find and slay him with it. You must drench the altar there with his blood and use it to completely obliterate his soul. Only when he is gone will I be freed to be made into a physical being."

"So that is your plan?" Byakuya asked, "You want me to accompany you to the fortress and kill him so that you can come to life?"

"Yes," the man said, looking deeply into Byakuya's widened eyes, "And then, Byakuya, I will feed all of your deepest desires."

He moved closer and Byakuya felt his body freeze in place. He tried to back away, but was unable to move as the lovely man he had shaped, approached him and laid him gently on his back.

"What are you doing?"

The man smiled.

"I am doing what you wanted," he said softly, "You are lonely. I felt that in the hands that shaped me. You have deep, unrealized desires. I only want to share them with you."

His lips captured Byakuya's and pressed firmly against them. Then, the man frowned and sat back, examining the noble curiously.

"Byakuya, you are afraid again. Why do you fear me? You didn't want me to look like anyone else, so I allowed you to choose my shape. I did this to make you more comfortable. I have answered your questions. Why are you so fearful?"

"People fear what they don't understand," Byakuya answered, "I may have shaped you, but I did not shape the soul within you. I am only getting to know you. I don't even know your name."

"I don't have a name. I told you, I am made of the lost souls that wandered the Dangai precipice. He never called me anything but hogyoku. Perhaps when you bring me to life, you can give me a name, but for now, just use the one he gave me."

"Of course."

Byakuya flinched as the other man moved in close and kissed him again.

"Please try not to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. Just realize that although you know little of me, because I have experienced Sousuke Aizen's life, I have also been exposed to his attraction to you. I can't help responding to you sexually, because this is the first time I have felt this kind of attraction. I can't help it if my actions with you are sometimes awkward."

He kissed Byakuya again and smiled as he felt the noble's lips move in response.

"I cannot proceed too quickly," Byakuya said calmly, "but I am willing to explore those feelings with you."

"You will agree to help me kill Sousuke Aizen?"

"I don't know if I can kill him," Byakuya confessed softly, "My emotions about him are confused."

"Ah, that's right. When he stole you away, he took advantage of you."

Byakuya caught his breath softly, but said nothing in reply.

"He teased me about how he made love to you. You have to be kept virginal, so outside of his illusions and my inner core, neither of us can really touch you, but we are free to explore each other sexually here."

"I...don't know if I am ready for that," Byakuya said reluctantly, "Sousuke...is a cruel man. He..."

"I am sure that he traumatized you. I will heal you, then. I will soothe you after his torments. And I will make sure that man never hurts you or anyone else again, Byakuya. Only put your faith in me and we will kill him and end his treachery."

The hogyoku claimed his mouth again, penetrating deeply and savoring his sweetness, his fingers caressing Byakuya's lovely face as they kissed.

"I am your only hope of survival," the hogyoku said more sternly, "Without me, you are going to die. Only by obeying me can you hope to win your freedom from him. You want to be free again, don't you? You don't want to die..."

"No," Byakuya whispered, his heart pounding painfully as the hogyoku laid down on top of him and kissed him more hungrily.

He felt the dangerous flicker of the hogyoku's power and watched in dismay as it began to undress him.

"Stop!"

The man on top of him paused and met his eyes again.

"What is wrong? Don't you find me desirable?"

"Yes, but I need time before doing something like this. Please, can we just...?"

The room around the two began to flicker strangely, and Byakuya found himself being pulled away. The look in the man's eyes grew suddenly deadly and Byakuya felt a hard chill go through his insides.

_Sousuke is a wicked man, but the hogyoku is every bit as deadly._

He felt a swell of relief as he woke to find himself still in Aizen's embrace and on Arashi's warm back as the stallion slowed and stopped in front of a small cave.

"What is happening? Why are we stopping he asked, forgetting to conserve his energy and feeling the harsh draining as he expended the effort.

"There is a sandstorm coming," Aizen explained, "We need to rest here until it passes."

He slid down off of Arashi's back and helped Byakuya inside. The noble's weakened body shook under the strain of the limiter and he collapsed onto his knees in the sand, just inside, panting softly.

Aizen observed him with quiet, contemplative eyes as he slowly recovered.

"It spoke to you, didn't it?" he asked, "And don't worry, you don't have to tell me. It's in your eyes. You are terrified of it, aren't you? And Byakuya, you should be!"


	8. Fate of the Prodigy

**Chapter 8: Fate of the Prodigy**

**(A/N** This is a note to the very rude and condescending person who is spamming this story with ridiculous complaints, so serious readers will want to scroll down. First of all, yes, this story, like most of mine, could lead to an mpreg. I like to write mpreg and I do not give two shits if you approve or not. Secondly, you complained about errors and inconsistencies within the story. And you did so while displaying a decidedly poor understanding of the English language yourself. You can't gripe about my few mistakes (which I found and fixed, by the way) when your complaint was worse than the few wrong keystrokes I made. Seriously..."I would proofread this as there are some inconstancies **_**and certain things need to be read on**_** in order to be understood. Your hastiness to update **_**has lead**_** to more errors in this chapter compared to all others." The first sentence was incomprehensible and the second had an error in it. If you're going to call me out on a few errors, don't make them in your complaint. **

**About your accusation of inconsistencies, use your brain...Aizen is a wicked, backstabbing liar at times, and the hogyoku has learned that behavior from his creator. Byakuya is caught between the two and will lie or misrepresent things to protect himself or to try to manipulate his captor. When you decide something is inconsistent, you should be sure that it isn't intentionally done. And if you have to read on to figure out what it meant or to understand, realize that this is a method that writers use to keep readers interested and guessing. It's not always an inconsistency. Be sure of your facts before you accuse.**

**Also, do not accuse me of hastiness. Every chapter I write takes between two and four hours to complete. I never rush a chapter. When I comment that I was giving a story a fast update, it doesn't mean I spent a minute less on the chapter, but that I gave that chapter an extra update within a week. To do that, I have to delay chapters of other stories I am working on. But I do not rush the writing and I don't fail to edit. Sometimes, because I am working an extra heavy schedule at work and I am tired, I miss things. Or occasionally, my mind slips a little and I mix up one of my 200+ stories with another. Readers who read me frequently respond with a kind PM pointing out the problem and showing appreciation for the effort I put in. They make a positive contribution to the site here, unlike miserable backstabbing cowards like you who hide in anonymity and just jab at hardworking writers, trying to hurt them. **

**I would suggest that if you really want to make a contribution, you use your FF identity when you review. If you don't have one, then make one. Read and comment thoughtfully and maybe offer something of your own in the way of a story. I know not everyone has a gift for writing and that's fine. I am happy that many people who don't write, themselves, like to read a lot. They make their own contribution, supporting writers with thoughtful feedback. Yours was not thoughtful, but rude and poorly phrased. You also neglected to give any example of what exactly was inconsistent, so how is that helpful? In any case, you need to find something better to do than verbally abusing other people. You may feel powerful doing so from behind the magical 'guest' review, but I just delete them as soon as I read the first sentence and know it's not worth my time. I mod them so it doesn't show up on the story. You are not affecting my writing or making me sad. You are not making a positive contribution. I don't know why you feel like doing something rude and mean to another living being like yourself, but I do wish you would stop. You are only revealing what a cruel and unfeeling person you are. I would not have aired this publicly, but you gave me no choice because you chose to stab at me from anonymity. I really can't respect that at all. Apologies to my readers who had to see this. I was getting tired of the endless abuse and thought it needed to be addressed.)**

**Now, on with the story!**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**(Thanks to Sariniste for her genuine support and encouragement as well as the anonymous guest who craved more of this story. Yup, that was you I was shouting out last time! You're awesome! As you can tell, it's been a bit stressful this week with my work hours and the stealth griper mentioned above. I'm going to go take a nice, relaxing shower before resuming my afternoon writing. Love you, Spunky)**

"Are you sure you're all right now?" Renji asked anxiously, squeezing Tetsuya's pale hand and stealing a kiss, "That scared the crap outta me when you just collapsed out of the blue like that."

"I am sorry, Renji," the noble replied, blushing, "I don't know what happened exactly."

Kisuke leaned over Tetsuya from the other side of the bed, with Ichigo at his shoulder, watching as he examined Tetsuya again.

"Your reiatsu has returned to normal now," he confirmed, "And I can't find anything wrong with you. Tell me again everything you remember."

"I was...standing outside, looking up at the stars, getting some fresh air and relaxing before bed. Then, all at once, I felt like it burned in my chest just to breathe. My heart started racing too fast and my legs started to shake and feel weak. In my mind, I suddenly saw Arashi, suffering the same effects. But it was strange. It was like one scene drawn over the other. In one image, he stood in a barren desert, near two people who looked like they were sleeping. I couldn't see their faces. In the image drawn over it, he stood in a forest, near a cabin at the edge of a lake."

"Well," said Ichigo, "we can figure that the desert is Hueco Mundo. It makes sense that if Aizen escaped, it's where he would go. He's more powerful than most of the hollows he would run into, and the shinigamis who pursue him will be in danger from the hollows, themselves, so won't be able to put their full focus on him."

"That's right," Kisuke agreed, "But it would be useful if we could get more information about where exactly they are. In either of the images you saw, did you see anything you remember? Anything familiar?"

Tetsuya frowned and thought deeply for several minutes.

"In the image of the desert, nothing really stood out...just endless dunes and darkness. In the other, there did seem a familiarity."

"Did that place have anything to do with Sousuke Aizen?" asked Renji.

Tetsuya strained his mind, frowning more deeply. A moment later, his eyes widened.

"Did you remember something?" Kisuke prompted him.

"Yes," Tetsuya said, nodding, "When my cousin and I were teens, he used to visit Sousuke Aizen for calligraphy lessons! He would go to Aizen's private residence near the edge of our estate. It was hard for me to remember exactly because there was always an odd haziness around that area."

"Probably Aizen's power obscuring it because he would have been doing a lot of his scheming there."

"I used to feel a bit uneasy because Byakuya did not have me accompany him into that area, but once Arashi and I slipped inside. We didn't see anything unusual, just the lake and cabin. The reiatsu did not feel dangerous, but as I said, there was a haziness to everything."

"Okay," Ichigo concluded, "so we have two places Aizen could have gone. You said you could track Arashi, right? So, if we take you to the cabin, you should be able to sense if Arashi's there, shouldn't you?"

"Yes," Tetsuya answered, "I might not be able to see through whatever power surrounds the area, but I will know if that is where Arashi is."

"And if not," Renji reasoned, "we go and start sifting through every damned inch of sand in Hueco Mundo."

"In that case," Tetsuya explained, "I will at least sense the direction and be able to tell when we are drawing near him. We will not be completely without guidance."

"All right, we will go as soon as we can get provisioned. Tessai will help me with that. Tetsuya, I want you and Renji to head back to the Seireitei and check out Aizen's cabin. If you sense Arashi there, don't do anything, for kami's sake, it'll probably take all of us and who knows what else to handle him. Just send me a hell butterfly and I'll come to you there."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Ichigo.

Kisuke smiled and squeezed the Shiba heir's hand affectionately.

"I want you to go and bring Orihime. We don't have any idea what Aizen's doing with Byakuya. And if he does anything weird or if he hurts him or any of us, we'll need a capable healer."

"Okay. I'll go and bring her now."

"Renji and I should leave now too," Tetsuya said, sitting up.

"Are you sure you're recovered enough?" Renji asked, "And we don't know why you collapsed. What if it happens again?"

"I think Tetsuya collapsed because Arashi did," Kisuke reasoned.

"But Arashi didn't seem to be attacked either," Tetsuya argued, "He just...staggered and fell."

"But he's in the company of Sousuke Aizen," Kisuke reminded the noble, "And while we know that nothing attacked you, we may just not be able to see what really happened to him."

"That doesn't bode well," muttered Renji, "Well, whatever. If you're sure Tetsuya's okay, then we'll go."

"I'm fine now. And if I start feeling poorly again, then I will have you to tend to me."

"You've got that right," Renji answered, curling an arm around him as he exited the bed, "I'm not letting anything happen to you...not ever."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You are a fine one to speak to me of needing to fear others, Sousuke," Byakuya said wearily, "After all, without you, whatever the hogyoku desired of me would have little effect. It was your desires that you shared with the hogyoku that tempted the hogyoku to focus its own interests on me, it used you to capture me and it is guiding your actions now, is it not?"

Aizen smiled.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere," he suggested, silently invoking his power.

Byakuya watched quietly as the scene around them changed and he found himself lying in Aizen's bed in the remote cabin, with the traitor lying beside him.

"Are you more comfortable now?"

"Yes."

"Now, you were telling me how the hogyoku was guiding my movements? Do you really think that the sealed hogyoku has power over me?"

"Perhaps not power over you," Byakuya explained, "but it is as deceptive and manipulative as you are."

"And you think that surprises me?" Aizen asked, slipping a hand into his, "Didn't I tell you when we were here before that I know the hogyoku is deceiving me? I know that it wants me dead. I am aware it is trying to steal you away."

"How can it _steal _me from you when I am not yours!" Byakuya demanded.

"Would you rather that thing had its way with you?"

"I would rather that the two of you killed each other!" the noble snapped furiously, "Sousuke, I don't want any part of this!"

"Ah," Aizen sighed, turning and curving a hand around Byakuya's flushed cheek, "but as much as you don't _want to be a part of this_, you are involved. You are in too deep to have any hope of emerging unscathed. And that gives you incentive to be reckless, at some point, I suppose. But I hope I can dissuade you from throwing away your life unnecessarily."

"And what do you care for my life? I have asked you, accused you and tried to maneuver you into explaining, but you..."

"Didn't I say that if you entered the Kuchiki archive and assisted me in gathering more information about the old hollow king's palace and the weapon there, I would use that information to separate myself from the hogyoku and end its ambitions?"

"But what are your ambitions?" Byakuya demanded, "What are you going to do when this is over? Are you still going to kill me? And what of the soul king?"

"You ask so many questions," Aizen said evasively, "If we weren't here and you were under the sway of the limiter, you would have lost consciousness already. And why does it matter what I will do?"

"It matters because I will not allow you to be loosed on our society again!" Byakuya cried, "You didn't just aim your sword at the king, you betrayed all of your comrades, even people who never did anything to you! And you won't explain anything, Sousuke! I know that some of the councilors did something to you a long time ago and that you repaid them by killing them more viciously than the other councilors, but I am far from understanding why? Tell me why? If you want me to believe anything you say, then explain yourself!"

"Hmmm, and how likely are you to believe what I say, Byakuya?" Aizen asked, "You said before that you will never trust me. If we have no trust, then you will not believe me, no matter if I do tell you the truth."

"Please, Sousuke, there must be a way that you can give me the truth and I will know it isn't a lie or an illusion. Just do that and I will have a far better understanding of what I should do."

Aizen went silent, looking into Byakuya's haunted eyes and considering. He thought carefully, then nodded briefly.

"Usually, one must touch Kyoka Suigetsu to nullify my illusions, but another way to assure the truth of what I show you and tell you is to be touching me while I show you the images from my past. Where we lie in Hueco Mundo right now, our bodies are touching. If I show you what happened, you should feel the truth of it."

"Then, you will...?"

"But of course, Byakuya. After all, if you see the truth, you may have more insight into what is happening now and what the hogyoku is plotting."

Byakuya watched warily as Aizen settled into his arms and looked deeply into his eyes.

"What you will see is an illusion," the traitor explained, "but this one is created from memory. This one is truth, and it is something that I have not revealed to anyone. Although that hogyoku is aware, I did not share it with Gin or Kaname and I didn't share it with any of the Espadas. It is for your eyes alone, Byakuya, and I think you will find it somewhat distressing."

Byakuya felt an inward chill at the words, but nodded wordlessly for the other man to continue.

"It happened long ago in the Rukongai, when I was child. My life was normal and comfortable until I neared my teenaged years, but as my powers emerged, that changed drastically."

_Byakuya found himself standing in a neatly kept home in what he recognized as the Rukongai. A pretty, but plainly dressed woman sat on the sofa reading, but looked up curiously as someone knocked on the door._

_"I'll get that," said a man with brown hair and eyes that looked eerily similar to the false image that Aizen had used to deceive everyone, who emerged from the hallway behind the woman._

_He approached the door and opened it, then frowned as he encountered three well dressed men._

_"Good morning," he greeted them politely, "Can I help you gentlemen?"_

_"You are Satoru?" one of the visitors asked._

_"Yes," the brown-eyed peasant man confirmed, "And you are?"_

_"We are agents of Central 46," said one of the visitors, "I am Tatsuo Saito, this is Shima and that is Toyo. We have been sent because it has been sensed that someone of greater power has matured here. You...have a son?" Tatsuo asked, looking into the house and spying the woman looking warily back at him._

_"I have three sons," Satoru said proudly, "and my eldest, Sousuke, has begun to display respectable power."_

_"I would say more than respectable," Tatsuo said, smiling, "May we see him? We are required to test those that we feel may be exceptional talents."_

_"Of course," Satoru replied, stepping back, "Asa, will you find Sousuke please?"_

_The woman swallowed nervously and stood, nodding briefly but not trusting her voice to speak. She left for a moment and returned with a tall youth with brown hair and eyes like his father's._

_"Sousuke, these men are here from Central 46 to see your powers. They say that you may be an exceptional talent."_

_"If you will come outside with us, we will test you," said Tatsuo, "You needn't bring anything and we will ask for others' safety that you come alone."_

_Asa and Satoru exchanged anxious glances as the youth joined the three men and closed the door behind them._

_"I don't like this," Asa said worriedly, "I don't like the way those men looked at him, Satoru."_

_The two moved to the curtained window, watching as the men examined the boy briefly, then tested his kido ability and the strength of his reiatsu. Finally, one of the men touched the zanpakuto at his hip and asked a question, to which Sousuke shook his head in answer._

_"They must have asked if his zanpakuto has appeared," Satoru surmised._

_"I'm glad it hasn't," Asa whispered, "I don't like how they are looking at him!"_

_They continued to watch as the visitors completed their inquiry and started back to the house. Husband and wife met them at the door, and Asa nudged Sousuke behind her protectively._

_"Your boy is very talented," Tatsuo told them, "In fact, he is so talented, we wish to offer him a place in our special program at Central 46. It is a program designed just for future shinigamis who we feel will require competent guidance as they develop."_

_"Papa," Sousuke said, looking up at his father, "Do I have to go?"_

_"No, son," Satoru answered, "but it sounds as though these men are offering you a place of honor. Are you sure that you don't want to think about it?"_

_"My apologies," Tatsuo said politely, "but when we discover one of such ability, it is required that we ensure that the bearer of that talent is educated carefully. I think you can understand that such ability not carefully managed can be a destructive thing. We cannot allow that, so in the best interests of the Seireitei as well as your son, we must return in three days and take him with us."_

_"What?" the woman cried, "You can't take our boy! He hasn't done anything wrong. How can you...?"_

_"Please, madam, we will not harm him. We are only trying to assist him in developing into a proper warrior for the court. He will be an officer someday. You should be proud."_

_"I am proud of Sousuke," Satoru said sternly, "But we will not just let him be taken away by strangers!"_

_"You have three days to prepare," Tatsuo said, frowning, "We will return then to collect him."_

_The men flash stepped away. leaving the three staring after him._

Byakuya found himself gazing into Aizen's dark, angry eyes as the vision faded.

"Did you recognize those men?" he asked tersely.

"Yes," Byakuya answered, his grey eyes conflicted, "Toyo Kuchiki, father to the late Isas Kuchiki and the grandfather of the subfamily leader, Orochi Kuchiki, was one of them and all three of those men in the vision were among the ones you killed more viciously. But there were others..."

"Yes," Aizen sighed, "The next night, as my parents prepared with the three of us boys to flee, a group of the men appeared. They had guessed we would try to escape and they came to the house and surrounded it. When we would not come out, they struck it with kido fire and burned our home to the ground. My family died in the fire, but my mother managed to shove me out of the burning dwelling and Kyoka Suigetsu's power activated and hid me from them. I could not save my family, but I watched as the attackers revealed their faces and I memorized them carefully. I fabricated the surname Aizen as I could not risk use of the designation of our Rukongai district, then I altered everyone's perception of me, so that I was not recognizable to them. I entered the shinigami academy and was eventually made an officer."

"And then, you began your evil plans against Central 46 and the king. But, why the king, Sousuke? He wasn't part of what happened. And there were innocent men among the ones you slaughtered. Why kill them?"

"Why kill the king?" Aizen mused, "Don't you understand? The king is all that is wrong with our society. He is nothing but a figurehead, created to hold things together at the whim of those horrid men in Central 46. They are the ones who really control our society. The king is a part of their treachery. A true king would not tolerate them."

"And why the innocent councilors? Why did you kill them?"

Aizen sighed.

"I was not happy it was necessary," he explained, "but to destabilize things so that the noble houses could not mount an effective response before I attacked the royal palace, I had to kill them all. The guilty ones died painfully and in terror, while the rest died swiftly and unaware. I was sweeping away the entire fabric of that old, flawed system. I spared the noble houses, but I was planning an assault on the Noble's General council to keep them from being a problem. If the heads of the families all died, then the slate would be clean and I could remake the worlds with a strong king and a better, more balanced society."

"You had me marked for death as well?" Byakuya asked quietly.

"Yes," Aizen confessed, "You are a clan leader and a captain. I marked you for death, but I never carried it out."

"Because you were stopped by Ichigo and Urahara?" Byakuya inquired.

"Because I did not look forward to killing you, so I put it off and hoped it would not be necessary."

"But, it is necessary now?"

"Perhaps. I don't know. That all depends upon what happens next. I have to separate myself from the hogyoku. To accomplish that, I must let it lead us into the old hollow king's palace and find a way to undo its plans. I will destroy the hogyoku."

"And then what?" Byakuya asked, "Will you continue to hate? To kill? To destroy?"

"Think about why I did those things, Byakuya. The king is still there. Central 46 is still there. And others like me are probably being taken by them. Did you know that when I invaded Central 46, I learned that what they said about that special program was a lie? Those men tested me and decided I was dangerous. They were taking me from my family so that they could kill me."

"You know those actions are not condoned by the law," Byakuya reminded him, "If we..."

"What, Byakuya?" Aizen asked pointedly, "Go against Central 46 and just have them kill me as they first planned anyway? There will be no justice with that lot. Forget justice. I will bring this society to its knees and I will change it forcibly."

Byakuya looked back at Aizen with saddened eyes.

"Then, you will continue your crimes."

"I don't want what happened to me to continue."

"Then...if you want things to change, let me go before Central 46 with you! Expose the ones who are not following the laws and make them pay legally!"

"Now, you know that won't work," Aizen chided him, "As much as you are a slave to the law, you know that group won't let either of us leave there alive. Face the truth. I am never going to receive justice until the treacherous ones are destroyed."

"And you think that the way to destroy treachery is to become treacherous yourself?" Byakuya demanded.

"Sometimes that is the only way," Aizen said quietly, touching Byakuya's face with sudden gentleness, "because those people will never look at me or any other powerful peasant through the eyes that you do."

Then...if my eyes are the only ones that see you clearly, why would you close them forever, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked softly.

He froze as Aizen's lips touched his tenderly.

"Maybe because, at this point, it is better if I am not seen."


	9. Who Knows Your Heart

**Chapter 9: Who Knows Your Heart**

**(My gratitude to everyone reading and reviewing! I very much appreciate your thoughtful and encouraging comments. Thanks to ShariBerry (You've got it, kiddo! One new update, hot off the press!), Winterheart2000 (Byakuya will delve into what happened before and it will have an impact later.), Beaker (Ah yes, both are dastardly in their own ways, aren't they?), Kittykins (I really wish Kubo would give Aizen more background, something to support his behavior), Anon (Thanks so much for the kind words. It's never easy dealing with a bully, but it has stimulated a lot of good conversations with other readers who have had the same thing happen to them. It also got people more vocal about this story, which I think is a good thing.), Aizenfan6969 (That's something else I hope Kubo goes more into. It would be interesting to have a better understanding of them.), Periwinkle (Byakuya's in a dangerous place, caught between the two. He will have to move cautiously.), Sariniste (You continue to be a voice of wisdom and an inspiration. Thank you for the encouragement. I don't take other people's cruel words as a reflection on me or my writing ability. A lot of times it can be an emotional reaction to the story or to something related to their lives. And truth be told, I have made friends here and on other sites, chatting back and forth with readers who initially had a strong negative response to a story and our chatting changed both their perceptions and mine in some positive way. Both people just need to be open minded and try to see the other side. If one is too defensive, then there can't be communication and resolution. Ah yes, and as for the story, more wickedness is on the way!), SCJ0263 (Awwwwww!), Picklez80 (Thanks for your kind words! :) Oh, and Byakuya will have something to say to Central 46 later. You can bet he won't hold back!), Willow (You are so sweet! I am glad you are enjoying this and my other stories and trying new things!), and Charmander (I am so grateful for all of the support from so many wonderful people like you. I have grown tremendously as a writer from your thoughtful and informative feedback. It is through mistakes and experimentation that we writers grow and it helps to have the reflections of many unique people to see our work from multiple perspectives.) Happy reading! Love, Spunky) **

_Byakuya?_

The Kuchiki heir opened his eyes and found himself lying in a comfortable bed, embraced by the lovely male form he had shaped for the hogyoku's spirit.

"You have returned to me."

Byakuya's eyes blinked slowly and focused on the other man's.

"You say that I chose to come here?" he asked, "I cannot be sure that is true."

"In your heart, you are still very confused," the hogyoku agreed, caressing his face and returning his calm gaze, "And I sense that he has done something that has only increased your uncertainty. Please...allow me to make things clear again."

The noble's breath caught as the lovely man captured his lips gently, and his fingers stroked lightly along his face and throat as they kissed.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya asked.

"He has you surrounded in illusions and falsehoods," the hogyoku explained, "He possesses your body sexually and he plays with your mind. But I do not distance myself that way with you. I know that forcing myself on you as he does when he surrounds you in his illusions is not the way to touch your heart."

"And you are concerned about the state of my heart?" Byakuya asked.

The hogyoku smiled.

"Byakuya, my power is closely tied to the hearts of the ones I sense around me. And your heart is complex, indeed. On the outside, you are one thing, but on the inside, something very different. You have two sets of competing desires and although you try very hard to balance them, they do escape your control at times. Unlike Sousuke Aizen, I do not seek to undermine that balance, but to find my place within it. There...is a place for me within your heart, ne?"

Byakuya's eyes lowered and turned aside.

"I don't know that either of you could enter my heart," he confessed, "After all, Sousuke has abducted me and I sense that he is going to kill me. You are bonded with him and you helped him to subdue me. How can I trust either one of you?"

The hogyoku smiled warmly.

"I know your heart is conflicted because of how we captured you, but you must understand, Sousuke Aizen was going to take you, no matter what I did or did not do. And it was a matter of fate, then, that we would be in this situation, because of his machinations. Surely, you can feel the sincerity in my touch, Byakuya. Can't you?"

Byakuya sighed regretfully.

"But how can I trust my own feelings?" he asked softly, "I trusted Sousuke and he betrayed, not just me, but all of Soul Society. He killed people I knew and never explained why. He wanted to overthrow the king and stand at the top. He never explained what drove him to those lengths."

"Ah," the other man said thoughtfully, "You want to know what I learned in sharing his experiences, ne? It is fair for you to ask if we are to have trust. So, I will be honest with you. The truth is, Sousuke Aizen was simply born too powerful and without the heart to master that power without becoming corrupted. That power built in him all of his life and it was the force behind his betrayal, his slaughter of those councilors, as well as all of his crimes. If you are looking for something that sparked it all, it isn't there. Sousuke is just a depraved, violent soul who embraces causing deep, personal torment. And if you think that him becoming king will stop his wickedness, think again. He is a psychopath and anyone associated with him will eventually pay the price."

Byakuya paused to consider his words carefully.

"But you know of nothing in his past that would have explained the ruthlessness with which he acted? Nothing at all?"

"Byakuya," the hogyoku said gently, "sometimes there is no reason. I understand your need, your desire to make sense of things, to believe that it comes from something pivotal, but sometimes a sociopath is just a very wicked person, whose behavior is beyond explanation."

_He is carefully avoiding telling me about the attack on Sousuke's family and his reasons for what he did to Central 46..._

"Can you say different when he has brought you along, you...someone he admits to having loved from afar...but he doesn't want to pursue that with you, or protect you as a loved one would? He wants to use you as a sacrifice. Why would he do that if his heart knew how to love?"

Byakuya sighed and lowered his eyes.

"You must feel my desire now, ne?" he said softly.

"Yes," the hogyoku said, moving closer and embracing him, "You want to find a way to stop him...no, not just to stop him, but to reform him."

"You are a creation made to bring our desires to life," Byakuya pointed out, giving the other man a hopeful look.

The hogyoku slipped its hands into Byakuya's and squeezed gently.

"I am sorry. You know that my power is limited to those wishes and desires that are within the object's ability to eventually achieve. Your wishes are beyond the scope of even a miracle. Please, Byakuya, put aside your hopeless dreams of bringing him to his senses. If you continue along that path, he is only going to kill you. I don't want that to happen. I...you know that I have strong feelings for you, myself."

He embraced Byakuya and kissed his lips tentatively, then more firmly.

"Now, please can we not talk anymore about Sousuke Aizen? I don't want to think about him anymore. I want to forget him. I would rather bury myself in this connection with you and never emerge!"

Byakuya tried to object, but the other man pushed him down onto his back and invaded his mouth hungrily. He laced their fingers together and held the noble's hands down on either side of his head. Byakuya struggled, turning his head away and blushing, but the man on top of him only smiled and continued to explore his soft throat with a devouring mouth.

"Byakuya!" the hogyoku moaned, "Please, I don't understand these feelings you are making me feel. I feel your reticence, but...but I cannot stop!"

"You must!" Byakuya objected, stiffening, Stop! Stop it! I cannot do this!"

He went breathless for a moment as the other man's hands tightened on him and the hogyoku's crafted face was overwritten with rising fury.

"Do you mean to tell me that although you let that man brutalize you, you will not let me love you, Byakuya? Why? Why are you resisting me?"

"Do not misunderstand me," Byakuya said, calming slightly as the embodied hogyoku ceased his advances and regarded the noble with a look of confusion, "I am not rejecting you. You must remember that there are nuances to functioning as a living being. One of those nuances is learning to control your impulses. And much as you want to act on your emotions, you must first reason out whether or not that is a good thing."

"And you think it's not good for us to love each other?" the hogyoku asked in a hurt tone.

"That's not it at all," Byakuya assured him, capturing his hands and looking into his riled eyes, "You see, before we can interact on that level, we need to build a connection...through shared experiences or common interests."

"Such as?"

"Well," Byakuya said, exiting the bed and leading the other man to the window, where they gazed outward, studying the night sky, "for one thing, I love the night sky. I enjoy looking up at the moon. Even when things around me are chaotic, the moon's glow makes me feel peaceful inside."

The embodied hogyoku gazed up at the shining orb, blinking slowly. A moment later, his hand reached up and touched his chest, over his heart.

"I know this body isn't real yet," he said softly, "but because of my connection to Aizen, I do _feel_ and _sense _things, using my connection with his experience. He isn't a man who feels such a thing as _peace_ very often. This feels strange, Byakuya, but in a good way. And sharing it with you gives me a warm feeling."

"Yes," Byakuya agreed quietly, "It is in small, peaceful moments like this that love begins. If you want to form a connection with someone, then this is where to begin."

The hogyoku smiled.

"And then what happens?"

Byakuya touched his face very lightly and let their lips brush together, creating an electric flare between them.

"We make our choices."

Byakuya took a slow breath and started to say more, but was halted abruptly as a hand touched the shoulder of his sleeping body and he awoke within the cave where he had been sleeping alongside the traitor. His eyes opened and met Aizen's in the darkness.

"Sousuke?"

"You were restless," Aizen commented, glaring softly at him, "and _aroused_."

Byakuya looked back at him silently for a moment.

"I told you before that you have no claim to me," he replied angrily, "If I am aroused or anything else, it is none of your concern!"

Aizen's eyes darkened in warning and he gripped the front of Byakuya's yukata, dragging him onto his feet and letting his reiatsu throb dangerously around them until the pressure made the noble's body quiver and begin to collapse. He held Byakuya on his feet, staring into the defiant grey eyes meaningfully.

"What are you doing?" Aizen asked darkly, "Are you playing us against each other? Trying to use that to escape?"

Byakuya struggled for breath as the limiter reacted to the strong pulses of power around them, weakening his body until he fell to his knees.

"I don't blame you for trying," Aizen went on, "but no matter what you and that useless crystal do, you will not overcome me. You will only die painfully."

Byakuya panted harder, closing his eyes as the pressure of the limiter sucked his strength away faster and his head began to swim. He sensed Aizen moving closer and felt the strange distortion of the man's shikai. Instantly as Aizen's power took effect, his body calmed and his discomfort faded. He rested on his knees, still in the cave, but hidden from the hogyoku's perception as Aizen moved closer and smiled at him.

"So then, you have made a connection with it? The hogyoku is bonding with you? That is...fascinating."

Byakuya blinked in confusion.

"What are you saying?" he asked, "A moment ago, you were furious...and now...?"

Aizen's fingers curled under his chin, raising it so their eyes met.

"Sousuke?"

Aizen's fingertips traced Byakuya's lips gently and his dark eyes kept the noble's entranced.

"Tell me what happened between you,"

Byakuya glared back at him sullenly and remained silent.

"Byakuya?"

"I have no reason to tell you a thing!" the noble spat, "You have no right to act jealous over someone who doesn't belong to you, and who you are only planning to kill anyway!"

Aizen's lips smiled wickedly as he bent and let them touch Byakuya's blushing earlobe.

"My cruelty to you just now was to continue to lure the hogyoku into feeling protective of you. You are distracting it...as well as providing tantalizing information on its behavior."

"I am not in this to be your little _science experiment_ and I won't be used to manipulate the hogyoku's spirit!" Byakuya argued, "He is using what he learned from you to explore life, emotion, physical and heart connection. That soul is becoming more human!"

"Is that so?" Aizen mused, his eyes widening with curiosity.

"He had me fashion a body for him and he was, at first, overzealous in pursuing a physical connection, but I was able to begin to show him the proper way to channel his developing emotions."

"As I said, _fascinating_!" Aizen repeated, his eyes contemplative, "But then, I created the hogyoku from the remains of lost dreams and desires shed by dying souls. And trapped in the orb, the hogyoku cannot achieve its own dreams. I assumed that would keep it from becoming too desirous, itself. But...I hadn't counted on it seeking ways to escape the orb and seek true life. That is what it is doing. And if it succeeds, it will no longer function as I designed it to. Instead of granted the desires of others, it will become a human soul and focus on its own wants and needs."

"And you think that's wrong?" Byakuya asked, "Sousuke, you wanted to be separated from the hogyoku anyway. If there is a way to give him life, isn't that better than just destroying him?"

Aizen let out a soft huff of breath.

"That sounds very romantic," he said mockingly, "but you need to remember that the hogyoku has been exposed to my past, to my pain and to my way of thinking. Don't be mistaken, Byakuya. Don't be drawn into thinking of the hogyoku as an innocent being. If it is luring you this way, it wants something. And I think you know that what it wants...is to kill me and take you for itself. So, why don't you tell me what you intend to do? Are you going to cooperate with me and conduct the research I asked you to, or are you going to play games that will only get you and your beloved cousin killed?"

"Aren't you going to kill me anyway?" Byakuya said belligerently, "And why should I believe you will spare Tetsuya? I cannot believe anything you say! Your promises are meaningless, Sousuke. You will do anything to get what you want and you will use anyone. You have let those atrocities in your past make you heartless. And that leaves me without hope. I am not going home alive. My cousin is lost with me. I have no reason to do a thing for you! Go ahead. Destroy us. You are going to do it anyway."

Byakuya's heart skipped and throbbed painfully as an icy rage flickered in the other man's dark brown eyes, then, just as quickly, dissipated. Aizen brought him back to his feet and smiled down at him for a moment, then turned away. He walked to where Arashi stood, dozing quietly, and whispered something into the stallion's ear. Arashi's head lifted and his blue eyes blinked slowly. Then, he turned back in the direction of home and trotted swiftly away from them.

"Why did you do that?" Byakuya asked, "Why did you let him go?"

Aizen walked slowly back to him and looked calmly into his widened eyes.

"I gave you something in return for your cooperation. I have let your cousin's stallion go and I can no longer threaten them to control you. It will also slow us down and give your allies more time to find us. But...it is a show of good will, ne? Does this satisfy you?"

"Somewhat," Byakuya said, eyeing him warily.

"Now then, there isn't enough time before we have to move on for you to search the archive. You can do that later."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Then, what would you have me do now?" he asked cautiously.

Aizen moved forward, backing Byakuya up until his back rested against a large boulder. His head bent slightly and his lips touched Byakuya's earlobe teasingly.

"_Compensation_," the traitor whispered, "You've been defiant...deceptive..._enchanting_! You've riled the hogyoku and you have riled me. Did you let it have its way with you, there inside the orb? It's only imaginary, right, Byakuya? You remain innocent, even as you bend both of us around your lovely little finger?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Byakuya objected, "I told you. I only tried to help the hogyoku understand the emotions that arose from his contact with your past. I helped him to slow down and appreciate the things around him."

"What things around it?" Aizen asked, "It's all imaginary, Byakuya...all of it! The hogyoku is a trapped spirit. It has never experienced the outside world, only through me and only in the form of illusions. It is a corrupted and manipulative thing."

"He is a living soul!" Byakuya snapped fiercely, "And you denying that is the reason he has rebelled against you."

"No," Aizen said calmly, "that thing rebelled against me because I fell short of the ruthlessness required to reach my desires. It is not a living soul like you and me. It is just a gathering of pieces of many lost souls. I know this, Byakuya. I made that thing!"

"Well, what you created has evolved," Byakuya asserted, "and now he wants to experience the fullness of his own life. You can give him that. I don't know why you are so resistant to the idea."

"Perhaps because you are not seeing it as it really is. You are only seeing the hogyoku's false reflection. It is deceiving you."

"I see. But Sousuke, aren't you the one so fond of saying that _victors should not speak of the way the world is, but what it should be?_ How is this any different? The hogyoku doesn't have to be just a collection of pieces of lost souls. He can be a human soul. He can come to life."

"And," Aizen said, glaring into Byakuya's dark eyes, "do you think that if we give that thing life, it will not have dangerous ambitions? Mind that it will still have its powers and that it will continue to act on its own agenda, using everyone around it to reach its own desires."

Byakuya gave him a fleeting smile.

"Then," he said quietly, "you are saying that he is likely to grow up to be much like his _father_?"


End file.
